Birth of the Fourth Goddess
by alwaysingirl
Summary: Leah makes a promise to a dying woman to take care of her son, not knowing that he is the future Hero of Time. But as she begins her journey with him, she realizes something about herself she never would have believed...Prequel to Fourth Goddess Link X OC
1. Chapter 1

**First off, I want to say that I do not except bashing reviews. If you don't like my story or my style, then either write a review with some respect or don't write one at all. If you do bash my story, I _will_ find a way to get the review removed. **

**Thank you :)**

**Yes, I know this story marks my third active story on this site, but after the release of OoT3D, I couldn't help myself any longer. This is actually my original Maple/Leah story, the one I've worked on since I was about nine. As such, this story will mainly take place in the perspective of Maple, not Link (maybe a chapter or two from his, but no promises).**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

**A/N: **_**I do not take credit for all the original Zelda material. The characters and events that I add on to the story are the only things that I take credit for. Basically, anything that you recognize is not mine and anything that you don't recognize is.**__**I'm not going to write this note every chapter! This is the only chapter that I will state this!**_

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><p>It was hot. Very hot. I knew instantly that the heat meant the fires were getting closer. The air was thick and heavy from ash and debris. Almost all of the green life was shriveled from the lack of moisture in the air.<p>

It was the worst war I had ever seen in Hyrule.

I knew that staying where I was, wasn't safe. But something inside of me told me to stay. I wasn't supposed to leave... yet. The boulder I was hidden behind, coupled with my small spell, was enough to keep me safe for awhile.

Speaking of which, a small shudder spread through my body to inform me that my spell was weakening, due to a lack of concentration. Instantly I strengthened it.

The spell was simple, but very affective and useful. It was one that a dear friend of mine had taught me, one that hid me from anyone wishing to do me harm. My learning it had actually come at a good time, too.

Before the war, I had been good friends with the royal family (and still was, matter of fact). As such, I was often seen roaming freely around the castle and its grounds. One man, the man who was essentially the cause of the civil war, began to notice how I never grew older, despite knowing me for five years. After a while, he began to wonder just what I was, and eventually declared war. Now, I wasn't safe. He had used the excuse of the war to come after me, and this spell was the only thing that had kept me safe over the last few months.

A snapping twig on the other side of the boulder told me that I was no longer alone. I reacted by going completely still and making sure that my spell was in full effect.

Seconds later, a pair of striking blue eyes appeared around the corner. It took me a few moments to focus on the face behind the eyes, and when I was able to, I realized that this person wasn't a threat.

For one, this person could see me. It was a nice twist to my spell, keeping me from being seen by only people who wished me harm. Anyone who wasn't a threat would be able to see me. It allowed me to distinguish between my enemies and friends easier. Second, the person behind the eyes was young (maybe in her early twenties) and she was badly wounded.

As we stared at each other, I knew what this woman would see. A seemingly normal eleven or twelve year old, with floor length black hair and eyes that were two different colors (one dark brown and the other a bright blue). But what she wouldn't know was that the wisdom held in the eyes staring at her had come from centuries of experience, and that I was anything but normal.

"P-please..." She said, her voice extremely weak. I saw her move her arms slightly, and realized that she was holding a bundle of blankets in her arms. "P-please, my s-son."

I reached her just as she collasped.

"Ma'am?" I said, checking the pulse at her throat. It was present, but thready. She was going to die soon. The bundle was still wrapped in her arms, although now it was slightly twitching.

"Ma'am?" I repeated. She finally moaned and sat up, pulling her bundles closer to her.

"H-help me. He's...not...safe."

"Do you... want me to take him somewhere safe?"

She nodded.

I knew instantly where to take them. I pulled her to her feet and spread my spell around the three of us, hiding us from hostile eyes. I then started to guide her south, where I knew there was a safe-haven not far.

Because of her injuries, it took us twice as long as I expected to reach the forest. Never once did I see what the boy in the bundles looked like as we walked, not even when she gave him to me so she could drink some of my water. I felt as if it wasn't my place to see or pry.

Finally, we reached the Meadow.

In front of us was the Great Deku Tree, an old friend of mine who had guided me for years. He was the friend who had taught me the spell I had been using earlier, and many more that I knew as well.

"What is this?" He asked in his wise, deep voice as he woke.

"Please, this woman needs help," I said to him.

"Have you tried to heal her?"

"Yes, but her injuries are far beyond my abilities."

The Deku Tree turned his great, wood eyes on the woman.

"What is this you have with thee?" He asked her.

"My son," She managed to say.

"What is his name?"

"L-link."

"Can you help her?" I asked in the brief silence.

He contemplated for a moment. And then sighed. "No. She will die."

My heart fell. This woman... the thought of her death made me sad. I looked at her, really seeing her for the first time now that we were out of the clouds of ash and dust. She was extremely pretty, with blonde hair and light skin. And she was young, about twenty-one.

"I can take him and raise him as one of us," the Deku Tree said after some contemplation. The woman looked up at him and smiled. She then looked at me.

"Y-you s-saved h-him," She said. "P-please, if something h-happens to this guardian, l-look after him."

I hesitated. "Nothing will happen to the Great Deku Tree. Your son will be safe here."

"B-but, in case... P-please."

I looked down to see that she was now holding out the bundle to me. It was wiggling slightly, and I could hear small whimpers coming from it.

_He knows_. I couldn't help but think to myself. _He knows that his mother is dying._

I looked up at the Deku Tree. I knew that if I took the bundle from her, I was agreeing to her wish. Would he want me to?

I saw him smile.

Looking back down, I took the bundle for the last time. The mother smiled, patted me on the cheek, and pulled back the blankets.

A small boy, about one year old, looked out from the bundle. His eyes and hair were the same color as his mother's, his skin only slightly darker although still fair. The mother then leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

She then fell down, dead.

Instantly, a couple of small children wearing green garbs came out of the trees and took her body to prepare it for burial. Another child appeared and stood in front of me, holding out her arms for the bundle.

"Don't worry, he will be safe here," The Deku Tree said when he saw my hesitation.

"I know that," I replied. "I just... I feel as if..."

I couldn't take my eyes off of the boy, and he couldn't take his eyes off of me. He kept moving his stubby little hand so that it rested on one of my cheeks. His skin was soft and warm from the blankets.

"This boy is special. His destiny is intertwined with that of Hyrule," The Deku Tree said. "You probably feel this knowledge."

I nodded, and then handed the boy to the child, feeling oddly sad as she disappeared with him.

"Don't be sad. You will see him again. You made a promise, remember? Your destinies are now intertwined as well."

I stayed for a few hours, watching over the boy as they cared for him. He cried little, even though his mother was no longer there. When it was time for me to leave, I had a hard time. I kept finding myself turning back around to look back in the direction of the forest.

But eventually, I was too far away to worry any longer. The boy was safe. I would probably see him again.

The boy named Link.

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><p>It took about another year for the war to settle. I spent that time wandering around Hyrule, keeping just far enough away that I was safe, but never wandering too far from the forest. Everyday I thought about Link, and how he was adjusting. I knew now that he probably knew how to say a few words, knew how to walk and run. He even was probably friends with the other children of the forest that were his age. But he was safe. He always would be.<p>

Weeks turned into months, months into years. After the war ended I went back to spending my time with the royal family, and I all but forgot the boy I had left in the forest. But I couldn't forget for long. For seven years later, I suddenly felt that something was wrong.

The Great Deku Tree was going to die. Which meant that the time for my promise to be fulfilled was coming.

I set out immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time I made it to the forest, I was exhausted. But the unmistakeable stench of evil kept me from stopping to rest. I knew from the moment I entered into the depths of the forest that evil had recently touched here. I could feel it in the air; leaking from the trees, seeping from the ground. It was a gift I had had for as long as I could remember; being able to sense evil. It had kept me safe for centuries.

I passed through the forest as fast as I could, ignoring the looks from the forest children. I couldn't help but notice that I didn't recognize one child I passed. Not one was there the night I brought Link and his dying mother to this sanctuary.

A thought passed through my head. _This forest won't be a sanctuary for long._ The thought made me sad, but I knew, deep down, that it was true.

I arrived in the meadow of the Great Deku Tree, and was sad to discover that what I had feared was true: He was dying. I could _feel_ it.

"What is wrong?" I asked, setting down my pack.

"I have been cursed, my old friend," He replied, his voice weak. "I sent a young fairy to fetch the boy and bring him to me."

"But what can he do? If you're cursed, you're already dying. Nothing he will do will help. I can _feel_ it!"

"Yes. Sadly, this is true. But, this boy, his destiny is-"

"'Intertwined with the destiny of Hyrule.' Yes, I know! You said that when I brought him to you! But why drag him into this? He's only nine!"

"Because the gods desire it."

I paused. It was the one thing he knew to say that would make me think. The first time I had met him, many years ago, he had told me that my immortality was a curse set upon me by the gods. Ever since hearing this, I had had a new found respect for the gods, although there was some hatred hidden in that respect. What had I done to them? What, at twelve years old, had I done to them to make them hate me so and make me live forever as a child?

I sighed. "Fine. Where is he, then?"

"I do not know. I sent Navi after him some time ago, but he as not come."

I turned and looked back the way I had come. No one was there, nor was anyone coming. "Do you want me to find them?"

"That would be very nice, old friend."

I turned and walked back into the forest.

The children were looking at me again, but this time with curiosity.

"Who are you?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Did the Great Deku Tree call you?"

I just smiled at them and kept walking. I looked as quickly as I could, looking for any sign of a boy running about the forest and trees. I even went into the local shop, hoping to see if he was there. But he wasn't.

"If you're here to buy a shield, we're all out! Just sold the last one!" The shopkeeper hollered to me as he hopped up onto the counter (which was considerably taller than he).

"Did a young boy by the name of Link come in here?" I asked. The shopkeeper and a lone girl both looked at me.

"Link? Of course! He's the one who just bought the shield!"

"Thanks."

When I walked back outside, my eyes were drawn to a head of blonde hair, hidden beneath a green cap. He was talking to another boy, blocking the entrance into the Great Deku Tree's Meadow from him. Both boys looked very flustered.

Finally, after a few tense moments, the blonde walked away, heading back in the opposite direction.

I followed him closely, knowing in my heart that this was Link. On his back was the shield that the shopkeeper had thought I had come to buy, but nothing else. A small fairy was flying over his head, yelling at him that he needed to get to the Great Deku Tree.

"Hello?" I said, walking over to him and tapping him on the shoulder.

He turned around, startled, and I felt my world stop.

He looked so much like his mother. From the moment we locked eyes, I felt my heart sputter. For a split second, I didn't understand what was happening. What was that odd sensation that was running through my body? Why was I feeling light headed?

When Link held out his arms and caught me, I felt the world start spinning again. Then, it hit me.

"It's gone," I whispered, stunned.

"What's gone?" He asked, extremely confused. I looked up at him, kneeling in the grass next to me, his arm behind my neck. Even for a nine year old, he was quite handsome.

"Oh, sorry. Nothing," I quickly said, feeling my cheeks warm as I stood and brushed off my smock.

But it wasn't nothing. My curse. It was _gone_. It was like I could feel my internal clock ticking for the first time in countless centuries. I was _aging_. Given, I wasn't aging right before Link's eyes (although the look he was giving me could have said otherwise), but I was _aging_!

"I'm sorry, but I really have to go," He said, brushing some dirt out of my hair.

"Oh, don't go!" I said. The moment I said it, I was surprised. Why was I panicking at the thought of him leaving?

"Excuse me?"

"Um, I mean, what's the matter? Did you need some help?"

"Well...yes, but I don't think you can help."

"What is it you need?"

At that point, a small fairy popped out from Link's green hat. "We need to see the Great Deku Tree, and that bozo Mido won't let us through!" She said, hopping around in the air.

"You must be Navi."

Link and Navi froze.

"How did you...?"

Blinking, I shook my head. "The Great Deku Tree is a friend of mine. He actually sent me out here to find you."

"He did?"

I nodded.

"Okay..." Link looked up at the floating ball of light near his head. "If he sent you, then do you know where I can find a sword?"

I frowned. "Maybe. Why do you need a sword?"

"Mido won't let me through without a 'sword and shield ready'." Link rolled his eyes.

I smiled. "Well, I think I might know where one is."

I reached over and grabbed Link's arm, dragging him behind me. I ignored his protests as I walked up a near hill. Was the hidden meadow still there? I vaguely remember there being a meadow hidden deep in the trees, but would it still be there?

"Where are you taking me?" He asked, finally wrenching his arm free and matching his pace with mine.

"There used to be a meadow hidden at the top of this hill. To get to it, you have to crawl under a tunnel of roots."

"And how do you know about this 'meadow'?"

"I...used to play around in the forest a lot."

"But, if you used to play here, wouldn't I have seen you before?"

I stopped and turned to look at him. "You sure you might not have spotted me around here before?"

Link was just about to shake his head, when he paused. His eyes squinted together. Then he smiled. "Nope. Don't recognize you at all."

My heart sputtered. For a moment, I had thought that he might have recognized me from so long ago. I sighed.

"Are we going to that meadow, or what?"

I nodded and then he followed.

It took me a moment to find the tunnel in the roots, but I did. Once I did I didn't even hesitate, and got down on all fours and started to crawl through the natural tunnel that pushed through the thick trees. I could hear Link behind me, grunting and pushing loose branches out of his face. I giggled softly.

When I saw the light at the end I sped up. Soon, I was pulling myself up and then turning to help Link out. When he emerged, he gasped at what was in front of us.

It was a meadow, full of flowers and sunshine. At the far end of it was a small chest, hidden here by the Great Deku Tree and me long ago. Inside, I knew hid a sword, hidden only for the use of a hero that would soon come to save Hyrule.

"How did you know about this place?" He asked as he straightened himself and brushed off.

"Like I said, I used to play in the forest a lot. I remember there being a chest here before, and you never know what's inside. Why don't you go take a look?"

Link nodded and then ran across the meadow. Moments later, he returned with a child-size sword.

"You were right! Thanks so much...um..."

I merely smiled. "Should we head back?"

"Uh, I guess."

"You can go first this time."

Link nodded and disappeared through the tunnel. I followed close behind.

On the other side, Link helped me out and then led me back to where we had met.

"This is my house," He said when we stopped, pointing to a very tall and large tree, hollowed out for children to live in. About halfway up was a small porch and a front door, closed off by a simple curtain. A ladder led to the porch.

"Nice," I said, smiling.

"Well, I have what I need. I should probably head out. Will you be here when I get back?"

I shrugged. "Probably. I'll be here for awhile, but you never know."

"Okay. I really hope I get to see you soon..."

"Maple. My name is Maple." It was a lie, but I did like the name.

"Nice to meet you, Maple. See you soon."

He disappeared.

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><p>About half an hour later, I walked back to see the Great Deku Tree. I was surprised that he great mouth was open, leading into his trunk, and possibly the source of the curse.<p>

"I have sent the boy inside to destroy the monster that has cursed me," He said, oddly sad and still weak.

"But it won't work."

"But it will test his courage."

I sighed.

"You must go inside as well."

"What?"

"Your destiny is tied to that of the boy's. From here on you must stay with him. Even you must realize this, since your curse was broken."

"Wait, how did you know?"

"I could sense it. Now go in, old friend, and hopefully we are wrong, and it isn't too late."


	3. Chapter 3

**I know my description of the forest isn't like in the game, but I figured I would alter the scenery slightly. Since the Kokiri Forest is supposed to be hidden deep in the woods, I figured it should look like a village hidden in the woods (duh), with little paths leading throughout the area. If this bugs you, I'm really sorry, but it just makes more sense this way for me.**

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><p>The evil inside of the Great Deku Tree was intense. I could see and feel that it had taken up a great portion of his insides. Monsters roamed freely in his hollowed out trunk, and the stench of evil was worse than it had been out in the forest. Three monsters called Deku Babas (which looked like overgrown Venus Fly Traps gone carnivore) were eyeing me suspiciously, a strange goo leaking from their open mouths. Skullwalltulas (giant spiders with skull patterns on their backs) were crawling around freely on the walls, some even hanging from webs. There was a hole in the floor in front of me, a giant web covering it so no one could go down.<p>

I spent only a few seconds eyeing my surroundings, but then took action. I reached behind me into my pack, that I had picked up just before coming inside, and pulled out a large bow. It was slightly big for me, but with my magic I was strong enough to nock and shoot arrows with ease. I used it to take down the three Deku Babas now snapping at me, and then ran toward the nearest wall. It was covered in thick vines, so I quickly started to pull myself up. Once at the top I followed a strange path, which looked like it had been forcefully added at some point, that followed the outside wall. I passed below the Skullwalltulas, ducking when one of them lunged at me, and continued to what looked like a door. I was just about to open it, when it opened of its own accord.

"Maple?"

"Link?"

Link was standing on the other side, clearly surprised to see me. In his hand was a small slingshot, and hooked to his belt was a small bag for bullets.

"What are you doing in here?" He asked.

"The Great Deku Tree asked me to come in here and help."

"But I don't need help."

"That doesn't matter. He asked, I answered. Now let's go!"

I grabbed his arm and led him to the wall where the Skullwalltullas were crawling. They all stopped and turned to look at us.

Link quickly put a couple of bullets in his slingshot and shot down the closest two before they knew what was going on. But, when the two were down, the third lunged down at us, clearly angry. Since Link was busy trying to grab another seed to shoot it down, I quickly shot an arrow and then turned to throw ourselves out of the way. It landed where we had been standing, dead, the arrow shot clean through its body.

I heard Link gag when I went over and pulled the arrow from its body. Green goop oozed out of the now gaping hole.

"You so sure you don't need my help anymore?"

Link eyed me for a second, before shaking his head. He then stood and wiped off some stray spider blood from his green garbs.

"This wall is climbable, so let's go. We need to hurry, before it's too late." Link nodded and climbed ahead of me.

At the top, we had to dodge a Big Skulltula (which was basically a larger version of the Skullwalltula that hung from the ceiling), and dived through a door around the corner. Once inside, the door locked behind us.

"Now what?" Link asked, looking around.

Navi flew over to an unlit torch. "Well, this torch looks like it was burning not too long ago. Maybe this is a piece of the puzzle to get out?"

Link quickly used a stick to transfer fire from a lit torch to the unlit one. The door opened in response.

Link was just about ready to walk back through the door, when I stopped him.

"Look over there! Across the room! There's a chest!"

"But it's on a ledge! I can't jump that far."

I sighed and walked over to a switch on the floor. I stepped on it and looked back at Link as three platforms rose from the floor, making it possible to get across.

"Now can you?"

Link nodded and quickly started jumping. Just as he reached the far ledge, I felt the switch jump up from under my feet, knocking me off, and sending the platforms back down into the ground. Link returned, using his sword to slash down a Deku Baba, and climbed up a short vine wall to get back to me.

"What is the deal with this place? How is it that all this is inside a tree?"

"Whoever cursed the Great Deku Tree placed all these puzzles in here to protect whatever monster is in here. If we solve all of the puzzles, then we can find this monster and break the curse."

Link nodded, although he looked confused, and then walked through the door he had unlocked earlier.

Back outside, we looked around.

"Now what?" He asked.

I used his map and newly found compass to see where we had left to go.

"The only rooms left are down."

"But how do we get down?"

I didn't answer, and instead shot down the nearest Big Skulltula. When Link grabbed my shoulder to ask me what to do, I grabbed his arm.

"What the-? AAAAAARRRGGGHHH!"

Link screamed as I swung his arm around and threw him over the edge. I quickly jumped after him.

"POINT YOUR FEET!" I screamed, just in time. Link quickly pointed his feet, just as he collided with the giant web covering the hole in the floor, bursting threw it with a 'snap!' The cavern below us was dark, so when I heard a giant splash below, I quickly held my breath and hoped he had moved out of the way.

The water below was icy, and just deep enough that we didn't crash into the bottom.

Link was coughing and had managed to pull himself onto a shallow portion of the small pool. He reached in and pulled me out as well.

"That was fun," I said. He was still sputtering, so his answer was a simple scowl thrown in my direction.

"Wish you-_cough_-warned-_cough_-me!"

"But you have to admit, that was cool."

He didn't answer, and instead wrung out his green hat (which, despite the silly pointed shape, looked quite good on him). He then threw it back on his head and looked around.

Now that our eyes were slightly adjusted, we could see that there were a lot more webs covering the walls down here, and there was another unlit torch behind a web. On the other side of the room were some torches, but the ledge to get up there was too high to reach. There was also a door hidden behind a web on the other side of the pool.

Link pulled himself quickly onto dry land and helped me as well. He then stepped on a switch I hadn't noticed before, lighting the torch and sending the web ablaze.

"My guess is, we have to light the web over that door on fire, so we can keep going."

"Probably."

"Wait here."

I watched as he lit another stick and carried it over the water to the other web. He managed to dodge a hidden Deku Baba and lit the web on fire. He cut down the Deku Baba before signaling me to follow.

In the next room, Link quickly pulled out his shield and sent a flying Deku Nut back at a Deku Scrub that had been hidden in the floor. It squealed as it was hit in the face by its own ammunition, and then hopped out of the floor and began to run around the room.

Link ran up to it and raised his sword. Just as Link was about to finish it off, it spoke in a high-pitched, squeaky voice.

"Please, if you spare me, I'll tell you the secret to getting passed my brothers up ahead."

Link paused, and then looked back at me. I nodded.

"Okay scrub, speak up," I demanded.

"You will never get passed my brothers unless you punish them in the proper order. The order is 2, 3, 1. Twenty-three is number one!"

"Why do we have to punish them in that order?"

"The queen has put a spell on them making them invincible unless they are punished in the proper order. The order is-"

"Yes, we get that!" I said, cutting it off.

"Do you think I'm a traitor?" It squeaked. It then hopped back into its hole and disappeared completely.

Link sheathed his sword, and then gestured toward the next door. "It's still locked."

I sighed and shot an arrow through an eye hanging above the door. The eye shut and then the door opened.

"If we are going to do this, you need to be more observant," I said, putting my bow back in my pack. "Otherwise, you'll never learn how to do this alone."

"You weren't even supposed to be in here with me in the first place, you know. I would have figured it out."

"But by the time you would have figured it out, something would have snuck up behind you and killed you, just like that!" I made a motion with my thumb, dragging it across my throat. "And besides, our destinies are now intertwined. I am _supposed_ to be in here with you."

"Why do you say that?"

I rolled my eyes and opened the door. "It's not something you would understand."

The next room was full of water, with a island floating in the middle of it. On the other side, just far enough away that we couldn't reach it, was the other door. A large pole was spinning above the island, spikes dragging across it.

"Okay, what do we do now, huh?" Link asked, clearly sour. I crossed my arms and sat down on the dirt floor.

"I don't know. You're the hero. You figure it out."

"You're not going to help me?"

"No."

"So, you don't know what to do to get across, then," He smiled.

"Of course I do. I saw it the moment I walked in here."

"Then what do we do?"

"I told you I'm not helping. And besides, you just said you didn't need my help, anyways."

Link frowned and then turned away. I heard him sigh, and then he dove into the water.

Seconds later, the water level dropped, dropping the island a couple of feet so that we could now cross and use it to get to the other side. Link appeared then, and then jumped across. I followed closely behind, being careful to duck below the spikes, and then jumped to the other ledge. Despite his anger, Link turned around and helped me pull myself up.

"I didn't say that I didn't need your help, you know," He said as he wrung out his hat again.

"Yes, you did."

"No, I said that I could have figured it out on my own. I never said that I didn't need your help."

"Well, isn't that the same thing?"

"Kinda. But not really."

"Then how is it different?"

"I don't know. I'm really sorry, okay?"

I felt my heart sink. No matter the fact that I could still hear the anger and hurt in his voice, I could tell that he meant it when he had said he was sorry.

"I'm sorry, too. Let's just get this over with, okay?"

"Okay."

We had to work together to push a block up to the next door. The next room held three torches, one lit, two not. Link knew what to do and lit the other two, opening the next door.

A Skulltula dropped from the ceiling the moment we opened the door. I shot it with my arrow, causing it to spin and expose its belly. Link then finished it off by slashing open its belly, spilling more green goo everywhere.

"Gross," He moaned as he wiped off his sword. He walked forward, and just as he neared the center of the circular room, I noticed dirt falling from the ceiling.

"STOP!"

But I was too late.

A giant, white and red specked egg fell from the ceiling, bursting open and revealing a revolting monster inside. There was really no way to describe it. It had one giant eye and three legs, two of which were trying to slash at Link while the last abled it to walk.

"This way!" I yelled, noticing two more eggs on the ceiling. I didn't want him to get any closer, in case they dropped and hatched as well.

Link slashed his sword at the creature while he backed up toward the door we had just come through. I nocked a couple arrows and destroyed the eggs still hanging above us. When they shattered, killing the creatures inside, Link swung his sword and killed the creature left alive.

"That was close," He mumbled as he put away his sword and shield.

"Too close."

"What _was_ that thing?"

"A Gohma Larve," Navi said, coming out from under Link's hat. "It was hatched from the monster that lives in here, now."

"So, the monster in here that's cursing the Deku Tree... laid those eggs?" Link asked. Navi bounced around in the air and then disappeared back in his hat.

"Good to know," I said, taking a stick from the ground and lighting it from a torch in the corner of the room.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting out of here."

I ran across the room, not wanting the stick to burn away before reaching the web. Just as the web caught fire, the stick burned down to my hands, causing me to drop it to the ground.

"Wow, those burn up fast," I said as Link came up behind me.

"Let's go."

I followed Link through the hole that had just been revealed.

We were back in the room we had fallen into, on the ledge we hadn't been able to reach before. In front of us was another webbed over hole, but nothing to jump from. I quickly helped Link push a block off the ledge so that we could jump below and have a way back up.

Link figured out how to get passed the web fairly quickly. He used the torch that had been lit earlier and lit a stick. As he climbed over the block with the flaming stick, he yelled at me to stand on the web. I did as he said, and then he stood next to me and bent down and lit the web on fire.

We fell like before, but not as far.

The water down here was even colder, and when we swam out, we realized there were three Deku Scrubs ahead of us.

"Remember; 2, 3, 1."

"I know," He replied.

It didn't take long, and when Link had reflected the last Deku Nut, the scrub told us that in order to beat Queen Gohma, we had to strike while she was stunned. It then squealed a sorry to the empty air and ran off.

There was a giant door waiting for us ahead.

"This is it," I said. I could feel the evil coming from the door. _This _was the source of the evil spreading through the Deku Tree and the forest. _This_ is where the fight ended. "You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

As he walked over to open the door, I spoke, causing him to stop and turn.

"You _did _say you didn't need my help, by the way."

"When?"

"When we first met up in here."

Link smiled. "Looks like I was wrong, then."

He opened the door.

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><p><strong>Sorry it's a little long, but I wanted to try to see how writing about getting through a dungeon would go. I think it turned out good. Tell me if it turned out okay, because if not I won't go into such detail about dungeons again (for the sake of your boredom). :) Hope you enjoyed it<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, so I forgot to make this note earlier for you readers (Well, I think I did, anyways) so here it is: I tend to be slow on updating, so please be patient with me. I tend to have gaps in updating that last months (even a year or so), but I'll get to updating eventually. These are stories that I'm really proud of, so I'll never forget them (or the fact that you want to read). Thanks, and enjoy :)**

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><p>I immediately gagged on the evil pouring from the inside of the room. I had to force myself to take a deep breath and steady myself, so as not to worry Link, standing next to me. I then couldn't help but realize that the touch of this evil felt slightly familiar, although I didn't want to admit it. This evil; I had felt it before. It was an evil that I had felt caressing the very edges of Hyrule for the last few months, although I had been in denial the entire time. I now realized that I could no longer ignore it. Whatever evil lay in the room ahead of us, came from the evil now seeping into the land, slow but powerful.<p>

I pondered all of this in the mere second that passed after the door closed behind us.

We were standing in a short tunnel that, as far as I could see, led to a large, round cave. The tunnel was extremely dark, but an eerie yellow light seemed to come from the ceiling in the cave in front of us.

I jumped slightly, when I felt Link grab my hand, which was wrapped tightly around his forearm. I hadn't even known I had grabbed his arm, and he didn't seem to notice that he had squeezed my hand in turn. Neither of us moved, and as I looked down at him, I felt an unbelievable sadness.

He was so much smaller than I was. Physically, we weren't that much different in age: only about three years. But, me being a woman and him a man, his growth was much slower than mine, making him several inches shorter. It was something I hadn't notice before, and it made me sad and suddenly scared for him. He was only nine! He was much too young to be put against an evil of this caliber! I was halfway between deciding whether or not to drag him out of the room, when I felt him take a deep breath and drag me along, my arm still entwined in his.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I whispered, just before we walked through the end of the tunnel. I never got to know what he wanted, however, for a great stone slab dropped from the ceiling the moment we entered the cave, blocking our only means of escape. Link's hand squeezed mine even harder, slipping slightly as it was now sweaty from fear.

Within moments we realized that something was moving inside the cave. Whatever was in there with us now knew we were trapped, and was rustling around excitedly. It took only one breath to find it.

It was walking around the ceiling, clearly excited. Link realized when I had seen it, because of my stiffening body, and followed my gaze.

When both of us were looking at it, it seemed to realize that we were watching. It stopped and turned toward us, and suddenly the source of the yellow light flickering around the room was revealed.

It had one, giant yellow eye, whose pupil was a sick green. The eye was bright, almost like a spotlight, and I knew immediately that this was the creature's only weak point. As we gained eye contact, it blinked. It then made a noise, somewhere between a groan and a scream, and its eye rolled into the back of its head, leaving us with a view of a giant, completely yellow eye. And then, quickly as it had disappeared, it was looking at us again, examining us.

The ground shook as it dropped from the ceiling, landing with a sicking crunch. Part of me hoped that the land had injured it, but it showed no signs of injury as it stood.

It was sickening. It had five legs, and as it crawled toward us it used the two closer to its eye to move, hiding the others behind its strangely shaped body. At the end of every leg was a claw, not unlike those on crabs, but each was almost as big as Link. It moved toward us, menacing, closing the distance to us in just a few, short strides.

I had only a moment.

"ITS EYE!" I yelled, throwing my weight into Link. I felt a great crash near our feet, and knew that one of the great claws had come crashing down where we had stood.

Link, so smart for someone so young, understood immediately. Readying it faster than I had seen him do, he aimed his slingshot at the creature's eye, which was now glowing a bright, fear inducing red.

The change in the eye color stunned us for only a moment, but Link let out a roar as he shot a seed into the eye of the creature, which now stood over him. The creature screamed, clutching at its eye with two of its arms, and then fell to the floor, its eye now glowing green.

Link looked at me, just on the other side of the creature's collapsed body, a smile on his face. It took me a moment to realize that he thought it was dead.

"SLASH IT!" I screamed, but too late. The creature recovered, and instead of attacking Link, who now had another seed ready but was still laying on the floor, it backed away, not taking its eye off of Link until it felt the wall behind it.

It turned as Link pulled me up, and started climbing the wall. We ran out to the middle of the room, hearts pounding, and watched it start to scurry around on the ceiling. We watched it, noticing that it was watching us again, and suddenly it stopped, right above us. For a split second, I thought it was going to drop on us like it had dropped earlier, but then its body seemed to extend, and a large tail dropped and hung above us. I then realized that the room glowed red, and tore my eyes from the dangling tail to see that its eye had turned red once more.

Before I could point this out to Link, something dropped from the ceiling.

It was a white and red speckled egg, identical to the ones we had crossed earlier. Link, who had apparently been looking at the creature's eye, hadn't seen the egg, and only noticed when it barely missed landing on him by inches. Link pulled out his sword, but a second and third dropped, right after the first. I watched as Link swung, destroying the last two, but the first had rolled out of reach.

With a sickening crack, a Gohma larvae had erupted from the last egg, and its mother dropped from the ceiling, almost knocking us to the floor from the tremor it had caused.

"GO!" I screamed at Link, turning my back to him and letting loose two quick arrows at the larvae. Both landed on target, and the creature fell, its legs swinging around in the air as it died. I felt and heard something drop behind me, and I turned in time to see Link lunge at the creature's eye, once again green.

It screamed again, but with more agony, and retreated for the wall again. Link ran over to me, grabbing my arm. I noticed there was a large cut on his cheek.

"It's only vulnerable when the eye is red," He said, ignoring the dead body at my feet. He then readied his slingshot again, and waited for the creature to stop above us. "I tried to hit it when it was yellow, and it just blinked and kept coming."

At that moment, the creature had stopped and the room glowed red as its eye changed color. Link was quick and his aim true. The creature screamed again and lost its grip on the ceiling. We dove out of the way as it landed, out of control. Its eye was green once again and Link lunged at it again with its sword.

The creature, now showing signs of weakness, stood up and didn't back away, as we had expected. It rose to its full height and threw two of its claws at us, one for each. Link managed to jump out of the way in time, but I had been too slow, too worried about him. Its claw scraped me across the head, leaving a gash that instantly gushed blood and left stars in my eyes. I fell, unable to see or hold my weight. I heard Link scream, and in reply the creature screamed back at him. I felt its footstep turn and leave. I tried my best to look through the haze filling my vision to see what was going on, but I could only see dark shapes.

Navi appeared out of Link's hat at that moment, giving him light and making me able to see. He was leading it away from me.

The room glowed red as Link stopped, and almost instantly, the creature fell. I heard Link's sword meet with something similar to flesh, and I heard it scream again. Although this time, the creature didn't stop screaming. It looked like it was flailing around, groping at its eye, now bright red again. Then, quite suddenly, I felt the ground shake as it fell.

The creature disolved.

It took a moment for Link to realize that he had beat it, but once he had, I saw him run toward me, the look of fear illuminated by the glow of Navi's body. He bent down next to me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"But, there's so much blood..."

I pushed myself onto my feet, but I swayed slightly. Link helped me stand straighter.

"Really, it's not that bad. Head wounds are the worst for bleeding. We just need to get out of here."

I then saw a strange, blue light form behind Link. I knew that this light was harmful. Whomever had cast it wasn't looking to harm us.

"That should take us back," I heard Navi mutter when she noticed the light, too. Link turned, nodded, and then pulled me to the light, which I now noticed was spread in a perfect ring, just big enough for two to enter.

"Come on, let's see if we broke the Great Deku Tree's curse," I heard Link say, just as I felt my feet leave the ground. The light caressed us both, making us feel light as air. And then, we were gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**From here on out, any important conversations I take straight from the game :)**

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><p>I felt my feet touch ground and I swayed, but Link steadied me by quickly grabbing my arm, keeping me on my feet. I knew why I was unsteady; I was loosing quite a bit of blood from my wound, but it wasn't enough to do me serious harm, either. The amount I had lost, combined with the fact that I had been hit over the head, meant that I wouldn't be able to stand straight, or possibly hear what was going on. Indeed, I could hear the Great Deku Tree's voice boomed throughout the meadow, but it was as if there was cotton stuffed in each of my ears. I couldn't understand anything that was being said.<p>

I knew that my wound was something I could easily heal, but I wasn't sure I wanted to do it in front of Link. Would he be able to take the fact that I could do magic? I knew that there was no way I could hide it from him: hiding my powers was never a good idea. Whenever I tried to hide them, they built up inside of me until I released a wave of power, usually whenever I wasn't on guard or around a lot of people. It always ended in me having to flee whatever town I was in and go into hiding until the people forgot about what I had did.

_What are you doing?_ I asked myself. I was supposed to be listening to what the Great Deku Tree was saying. Why was I babbling on inside my head?

I shook my head slightly, but that only made it worse. It throbbed, and stars danced in front of my eyes again. There was no doubt in my mind that I had a concussion. Much more difficult to heal with magic, but doable all the same.

I must have stumbled after shaking my head, because I suddenly felt Link lower me to the ground, the Great Deku Tree's voice still booming around us. Link then sat down next to me and listened, and I laid back. While Link was listening and not really paying attention to what I was doing, I wound my hands up into my hair and felt for the gash. It took me only a few moments, although blood had dried in my hair, making more difficult to find the wound. Once I found it, I started mumbling to myself, running my fingers along the entire gash, which was sore to the touch. I felt the wound start to knit together under my fingers as I did.

When the wound was completely gone, the blood caked in my hair and dried on my face gave the only indication that I had been hurt.

Now that my bleeding had stopped, I relaxed on the ground and waited, my hands still on my head. As I relaxed, I let my power seep from my fingers into my skull, helping the dull throbbing pulsing through it, and sharpening my senses at the same time. Slowly, the Great Deku Tree's voice became clearer, until I could finally hear what was being said, and what was being said made my heart ache.

"Thou must never allow the desert man in black armor to lay his hands on the sacred Triforce. Thou must never suffer that man, with his evil heart, to enter the Sacred Realm of legend... That evil man who cast the death curse upon me and sapped my power... Because of that curse my end is nigh..."

"What do you mean, 'your end is nigh'? Didn't we break the curse? Were we not fast enough?" Link asked, but I wasn't surprised. I had known from the beginning and it made my heart sink to know that this was the last time I would talk to him.

"Though your valiant efforts to break the curse were successful, I was doomed before you started..."

"So, you're going to die?" I asked, sitting up. _Please say no, please say no!_

"Yes, I will pass away soon..." I sobbed, dropping my head into my hands, now covered in blood as well. "But do not grieve for me... I have been able to tell you of these important matters..." He turned back to Link, and I tried my best to pull myself together. It didn't matter that I was loosing a mentor and friend; there were more important things, from the sound of it. "This is Hyrule's final hope... Link... Go now to Hyrule Castle... There, thou will surely meet the Princess of Destiny... Maple... Go with him and help him on his quest...Take this stone with you. The stone that man wanted so much, that he cast the curse on me..."

A great green light appeared above our heads. Link quickly jumped up, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, and held out his hands in time for a giant green stone to drop into his grip. The stone itself was about the size of a large grapefruit. A small section of it was surrounded in the purest, brightest gold, which ended in a spiral in the stone's center. It was by far one of the most beautiful stones I had ever seen. And something I had never known the Great Deku Tree had.

"The future depends on thee, Link... Thou art courageous... Navi the fairy... Help Link to carry out my will..." The Great Deku Tree's voice suddenly wavered, becoming extremely weak. "I entreat ye... Navi... Good...bye..."

Before our eyes, leaves started to fall from the branches of the great tree. His body turned suddenly gray and cold.

He was dead.

"Let's go to Hyrule Castle, Link!" Navi said, clearly trying to hide the sadness in her voice. As Link turned and started to walk away, I heard her mumble, "Good bye... Great Deku Tree..."

I sat, frozen, staring at the Great Deku Tree's dead body. He was gone. My friend. My mentor. How could this happen? How could a guardian spirit die? How was it even possible? How could the goddesses let something like this happen?

He had lived nearly as long as I. We had known each other for years. Yet, here I was, curse newly broken, and yet my only true friend dead.

The man from the desert I heard him mention a few minutes ago... I had heard him say that it was him who cast the curse...

"He will die," I mumbled to myself.

"Maple?" I turned, realizing that Link had stopped to wait for me. "Are you coming?"

I wiped away what tears were left on my face and nodded. "Yes, I'm coming."

When I joined Link, I realized that he looked almost as sad as I. I couldn't let myself forget that the Great Deku Tree had been the one to take him in and care for him. His loss wasn't as great as mine, but it was still a loss.

"I'm really sorry," I said, my voice unusually calm.

"It's okay. I didn't know him that well, really. It's just... I feel like I lost a family member..."

I patted him on the shoulder, knowing how he felt. "I know. I'm sorry."

We didn't get far. The boy I had glimpsed Link arguing with earlier was standing in our way.

"Hey, Link! What did you do?" The boy exclaimed.

"The Great Deku Tree summoned me to help him break a curse," Link answered, somber.

"The Great Deku Tree? Did he...die?"

Link nodded.

"How could you do a thing like that? It's all your fault!"

"It was a curse, dumb ass! Link didn't do anything! He was trying to save him!" I yelled.

The boy jumped in the air, seeming for the first time to notice me. Either way, he growled and stalked off.

"He's right. It's all my fault that the Great Deku Tree is dead."

"No, it's not. It's that man from the desert. _He _is the one who's responsible, not you."

Link sighed, but didn't reply.

We walked together in silence, wading through a pond not far from the entrance to the meadow we had just left. All that was heard between us was our steady breathing, and our feet crunching the leaves and twigs on the ground. When we neared the edge of the forest, however, Link stopped.

"I'm a Kokiri. I can't leave the forest, or I'll die." I looked at him. I had figured that the Great Deku Tree might have mentioned to him once that he wasn't born here. Apparently, I had been wrong. "What was he thinking? Telling me to leave the forest! He knows I'll die!"

"Um..." Should I have told him? "I think you'll be okay."

"How do you know?" He asked, turning to me and glaring.

"I just know, okay? We need to trust each other if we are going to travel with each other. So trust me, you'll be fine."

Link started. "I didn't mean-"

"It doesn't matter what you meant. Let's just go, so that hopefully we can get to the castle before the bridge closes."

"When does it close?"

"At nightfall. Let's go."

We walked for awhile, until we got to a bridge that crossed over a small gorge. Halfway across, however, someone spoke.

"Oh, you're leaving..."

Both of us turned around. Standing at the edge of the bridge was a girl with green hair and a pretty face. She was holding onto one of the ropes that secured the bridge.

"Saria?" Link said, turning around and walking toward her. I just leaned against the rope and pretended I wasn't there.

"I knew...that you would leave the forest...someday, Link..."

"You knew? How?"

"Because you are different from me and my friends..."

There was a brief silence, and then Link took off his hat. "But-"

"But that's okay, because we'll be friends forever...won't we?"

"O-of course."

"I want you to have this Ocarina... Please take good care of it." She held out her hands, and in them was a plain Ocarina, with no extraordinary markings on it. Link took it all the same and looked at it. He then looked back up at her. "When you play my Ocarina, I hope you will think of me and come back to the forest to visit."

"Link..." I whispered. He made no acknowledgements that he had heard me, but he stepped toward me all the same.

"Good bye, Saria. I'll visit, I promise."

He ran ahead of me and disappeared into the trees. I looked back once, to see that Saria's face was somber, but knowing. She nodded at me as I disappeared as well.

It took us about another half an hour to get out of the trees completely. Once out, we found ourselves on a large path, which I knew led to the castle, about a half a day's journey away. As we followed the path around a corner, a deep, wise voice greeted us.

"Hoot hoot! Link... Look up here!"

Startled, we both looked up.

A giant owl sat perched on a half dead tree, and was looking at us upside down. I recognized this owl almost at once. His name was Kaepora Gaebora. I had run into him a few times, but he had never spoke directly to me and instead watched me. Every time I had seen him, I felt an ancient power radiating from him, and today was no different.

"It appears as if the time has finally come for you to start your adventure! You will encounter many hardships ahead... That is your fate! Don't feel discouraged, even during the toughest times! Go straight this way and you'll see Hyrule Castle... You will meet a princess there... Did you get all of that?" I looked over at Link to see that he was stunned. He managed to nod. "Alright then, I'll see you around! Hoot hoot hoot ho!"

The great owl flew away and was gone.

"Alright, Link, follow me."

We followed the path in silence. I noticed that Link kept looking around in awe. We were, indeed, in a giant field. Rolling hills dominated the landscape, and the entire field was surrounded by a short canyon, shooting up on every side. I could vaguely see Death Mountain off to the far East, a great ring of smoke surrounding its summit. I knew that, in the middle of Hyrule Field, was Lon Lon Ranch. Far to the North was the castle, to the South, Hylia lake, and to the West was the desert.

"Welcome to Hyrule, Link!"

He said nothing, but continued to follow.

About two hours later, I realized that there was no way we were going to make it to the castle before nightfall. We were still a good few hours away, yet it was only three hours until sunset. But we kept walking, right until the castle was finally in view.

I heard Link gasp when the castle came into view. "Is that the castle?"

"Yes, but it's closed off. The bridge rose about fifteen minutes ago."

"Then, what are we going to do?"

"Make camp."

I stopped then and sat down on the ground, making sure that we had a clear view from all angles. Link grabbed some twigs and we were able to start a small fire, to keep us temporarily warm. It was then that I realized that we were still covered in blood, and Link still had a gash on his cheek.

"Come here," I said, after we had sat. He did, coming closer with a wary look on his face. "Don't worry, I don't bite."

I reached out and touched his cheek. As I mumbled, I felt the cut mend itself fairly quickly, given it was pretty small. Link's eyes widened after he touched his now healed face.

"How did you _do_ that? And what about your head? I completely forgot you were hurt!"

"I'm fine. I can do magic, and healing is my specialty. I healed my cut long ago."

"Oh! That's cool!"

I didn't say anything, and instead laid back onto the soft grass. Link didn't say anything and instead did what I did.

I was asleep in moments.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up what seemed moments later, only to find that the sun was rising. The sky to the west was now a dull pink, the sky above us still a deep blue with stars speckling its surface. I rolled over to find Link just inches from me, the fear he had been hiding now etched clearly on his sleeping face. For a moment, I wondered why. Then I remembered that the only home he had ever known was the forest, and he had ventured outside for the first time. He was in a completely new world.

"Link," I whispered, sitting up. He didn't stir. "Link," I said a little louder. He twitched. I placed my hand on him and shook his slightly. "Link!" He still didn't wake, but Navi flew out of his hat.

"He's a deep sleeper, you know," She said, turning to me. "Took me forever to wake him yesterday." She then flew up and down over Link's face, the light from her body shining all across him. "Link, wake up! Link, come on!"

He finally sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Wazzamater?" He mumbled.

"Link, it's almost dawn. We need to go."

Link looked at me, the fear previously all over his face now gone. It had been replaced with a look that clearly screamed exhaustion.

"Already?"

"Yes, already," I said, standing up. "Now let's go."

Link stood up reluctantly and stretched once on his feet. "How much farther, then?"

"About an hour." Link attempted to hide his moan in a yawn, but I had heard it. "Once there we can see the princess."

The look on his face was one clearly from someone never raised in Hyrule. He just looked at me like he was asking what the big deal was. I laughed.

"I forgot, you weren't raised in Hyrule!"

"So?"

"So, most people would be extremely excited about the idea of meeting her."

He cocked his head slightly. "Should I be? The only reason I'm going to meet her is because the Great Deku Tree told us to go meet her. Otherwise I would have just gone back to my house and took a nap."

"Yes, I know this. But let's just go, okay?"

Link nodded and then grabbed his stuff. "Okay."

We set off, once again in complete silence. All the while the sun slowly started to peek over the horizon, until most of it was visible and the sky was now a bright pink. I could tell we were starting to get close, because off in the distance I heard the bridge to the castle town lower.

Finally, the bridge was in sight. I heard Link sigh from behind me.

Neither of us spoke until the sound of our footsteps echoed off the wood.

"So, this is Hyrule Castle Town, huh?" Link asked, stopping about halfway across the bridge. The sun was still low in the sky, so it was reflecting brightly off of his sword.

"Yep, it is. On the other side of the town is the castle."

I looked back to see two emotions cross his face. The most dominate was excitement. But there was a bit of fear etched there as well. I turned back toward town and knew what he would be frightened of. The many buildings scattered everywhere, all close together. People walking in and out off the various alleyways. And farther into the town, a large fountain surrounded by many people. He would have never seen this many people in his life. Well, at least in the last eight years.

I turned back to him and held out my hand. "I won't leave your side, I promise."

Link looked down at my hand, uneasy. He then nodded and took it, squeezing my fingers so tight that I knew he was more scared then he was letting on.

We walked forward, the only thing keeping Link moving being our now practically inseparable hands (he was holding it so tight). We passed by many alleyways, and whenever an adult would come out from one, Link would squeeze my hand even tighter. I had to remind myself that he was raised with children, and had never seen an adult before. I looked at him and smiled. He tried to smile back, but it looked more like a grimace than anything.

We walked into the square and I noticed that Link was trying his best not to make eye contact with anyone. That didn't stop people from looking at us, though. Many of the people here knew about the forest children, but had never seen one. No doubt they were all trying to get a good look to say that they had seen one.

"Come on," I whispered and pulled him forward. I then realized that there was a little girl with a pretty face standing next to the fountain with a long mane of red hair. "Oh, Malon!"

"W-what?" Link asked. I pointed to her. "You know her?"

"I've met her a few times. She's really nice! Come on let's see what she's doing!"

When we approached her, she did as everyone else in the square had done; looked right through me to look at Link.

"Oh, you're not from around here, are you?" She asked.

Link started. "How did you-"

"Green clothes, a fairy... I know! You're a fairy boy from the forest, aren't you?"

"Um, yeah. I came to see the princess-"

"Oh, you're on the way to the castle? Maybe you'll see my dad! He went up there a while ago to deliver some milk and hasn't come back yet!"

"Hey, Malon!" I finally said. She jumped at looked briefly at Link's hand around mine.

"Oh, hello, Maple! How are you doing?"

"I'm good. You've met Link, I see?"

"Oh, that's your name! Yes, I have! You know each other? How did you meet?"

"We met in the forest. He told me that he needed to come see the princess so I figured I'd help him." I saw Link glance at me out of the corner of my eye. He frowned, but said nothing.

"Oh really? Well have fun! And if you see my dad, tell him to come back, okay?"

"We will. See you around!"

Link was quite glad when we walked to the edge of town and onto the grounds of Hyrule Castle. Not long after the town was behind us, a familiar wise voice boomed down to us from the top of a tree.

"Hey, Link! This way!" We looked up to see the large owl once again.

"Yes!" Link hollered.

"The princess is inside the castle just ahead. Be careful not to get caught by the guards! Ho ho ho hoot!"

"Well, we know that!" He hollered back.

The owl let out a long hoot. "You're a smart kid. Good luck, then. Hoo hoo!" The owl then took off toward the castle.

Link looked at me and shrugged. He finally let go of my hand as we rounded the corner.

Ahead of us was a large gate, guarded by a single man. Link walked over to him, clearly trying to get over his unease around the adults.

"Excuse me, we need to see the princess," He said. The guard merely looked down at us.

"So you're here to see Princess Zelda, eh?" Link nodded. I however, tried my best to hide behind Link. The guards knew me well, and didn't like me much since I had a 'bad habit' of sneaking passed the guards to see the princess myself. "You probably heard about her in town and decided that you needed to meet her... Well..."

The guard was quiet for a moment as he looked down at Link. I saw him glance in my direction, but I was careful to keep my eyes down. That was the one way they would be able to recognize me: not many people had two different colored eyes.

"Get out of here! Go home! The princess would _never_ grant an audience with the likes of you!" He slammed his spear into the ground to emphasize his words. I grabbed Link's arm and pulled him back.

"We can get in a different way, come on!"

We rounded back around the corner, and found ourselves face to face with Malon again.

"Hi, Malon! Did you follow us over here?" I asked. She ignored me, however.

"Are you going up to the castle, fairy boy? Would you mind finding my dad? He must have fallen asleep somewhere by the castle."

"Fallen asleep?" Link asked.

"What a thing for an adult to do! Tee hee!"

"Well, I guess we can find him for you..."

"Oh yeah, if you look for him, I'll give this to you." She held out her hands and cupped in them was a large cucco egg. I noticed that she was looking only at Link and hadn't seemed to notice me at all. I felt my stomach churn slightly with jealousy. What was her deal? I had thought we were friends! Why was she ignoring me and only looking at Link? He was _my_ friend, after all! Not hers!

Link opened his hands and took the egg gently. "Um, thanks..."

"I've been incubating this egg very carefully, tee hee! My dad sure is troublesome for an adult!" Malon then turned around, her long hair whipping us in the face, and disappeared back into town. Again, she didn't pay me any attention, with eyes only for Link. I felt my hands curl into fists, and I had to take a few deep breaths to calm myself. I then grabbed Link's hand and pulled him back toward the gate.

"W-what's wrong?" He asked, fumbling with the egg. I saw him set the egg into his pouch carefully.

"We are getting through that gate!" I growled from between my teeth. I felt Link try to pull his hand free, but I didn't let go. "Sir!" I yelled when we were standing in front of the guard. I saw him gasp when he realized who I was, but I didn't care. I reached into my pocket and took out a red rupee. "Let us through, now! It's urgent!"

"I-it's you!" He gasped. I thrust the rupee into his hand. I saw him hesitate. "W-well, if you really need to see her..." He turned and flipped a switch that opened the gate. "But the other guards won't be too happy to see you! You'd better not get caught, otherwise I'll have some explaining to do to them!"

I pulled Link through the now open gate and started walking down the path.

"Do the guards-"

"Shhh!" I said, cutting him off. I knew that there were a few guards on top of the hill next to us, and being heard wouldn't be good. I signaled him to follow me, and set off.

I darted down the path until I saw the boot of one of the guards farther up the path. I then got on all fours and climbed up the steep hill, signaling Link to stay close. He did was I asked. At the top, only one guard stood watch near us, and luckily his back was to us. I waved at Link and then took off.

It took us a few minutes to cross the field, but once on the other side I started to climb the familiar rock wall blocking our path. I heard Link not too far behind. Once at the top, I helped Link up and then got back down on all fours, Link doing the same. I then led the way to the edge of the castle. Below us was the path and bridge into the castle. The bridge was up, which meant that the moat was clear to swim down.

I looked at Link and nodded. I then jumped as far as I could, landing at the edge of the stone path. I rolled, barely making a sound as I landed in the water. I looked up just in time to see Link roll in as well. The guards guarding the path looked around, but didn't move to investigate.

The flow of the water carried us around the edge of the large castle. We floated for maybe five minutes, before the moat made a sharp turn to the left. Just before the turn, I swam my way to a pile of debris gathered in the very corner of the moat. I pulled Link onto the pile as well, and then hoisted myself up and out of the water. Link was right behind me.

Shivering because of the fact that the sun was starting to set, I set off again, still not speaking. I knew that there weren't usually guards on this end of the castle, but I didn't want to risk it.

It took us about ten minutes to find ourselves at the edge of the castle, a maintenance door in front of us. Also in front of us were two large crates with the Lon Lon Ranch symbol burned into them, and a large man asleep on the concrete.

"Is that Malon's dad?" Link asked, pointing at him. I nodded.

"Talon. He's a heavy sleeper. About the only thing that can wake him up is a cucco." I looked at Link, who knowingly looked down at his pouch, where the egg was still safely hidden.

"So, we wait for it to hatch?"

I nodded, and sat down in the grass. Link pulled out the egg and started to rub it, keeping it warm.

"But, won't it just hatch into a chick?"

I nodded. "Yes, but a baby cucco's crow is just as powerful as an adult. It should be able to wake him just as easily."

"So, we wait?"

"We wait."


	7. Chapter 7

I woke with a start when I heard a loud snapping noise. I instantly rubbed at my neck as I turned and tried to see where the noise was coming from. It took me only moments, but my neck still pained me. Sleeping on solid cement was not a good idea.

The egg was cradled in Link's arms, and it was starting to crack. The baby Cucco inside was clearly on the verge of hatching, but it wouldn't within the next hour. I instead rubbed at all the now sore sections in my body and healed them. By the time I was done, I was no longer tired, but Link was still sound asleep, the egg wiggling every few moments in his arms.

I watched him for awhile. Watched as every breath of his lightly tossed his hair; watched his eyes move around his closed lids. He had such pleasant features, if I had to say so myself. Peaceful as he slept, yet in the makings of being strong. He still had much child-roundness to his cheeks, which were slightly pink from whatever dream he was having, or maybe the cold breeze blowing across them.

I frowned at myself.

I stood up and walked over to a small ledge that hung over the moat, below the path we were on. The ledge was close enough to the water that I was able to strip my feet bare and dip them in. The water was cold, but not unpleasant. I sat and hummed to myself. It was a tune that I had heard the Great Deku Tree sing to himself long ago. It was a soothing tune, very unlike the song that I often heard coming from the Lost Woods. It was softer, kinder.

I hummed until I felt someone sit next to me. Link's sudden presence made me jump and lose my place in the song.

"Oh, don't stop because of me," he said as he settled the now almost completely cracked egg between his knees, "it was such a nice tune."

"How long have you been awake?" I asked.

"I don't know. Awhile, I guess. I heard you singing and it woke me up. Scared me for a brief moment. Didn't know where you were. But then I looked in the direction of your voice and saw you hiding down here."

"Well, you can't of been awake long, then. I've been down here for awhile."

"Uh, I've been awake awhile." I looked at him to see him blushing. "I've just been...listening. From above you. I came down when the egg chirped." I listened and, sure enough, heard a quiet chirp from inside the shell. "I've never incubated an egg before. Wasn't sure what to do when I heard it."

"You're doing fine. Just keep it warm and it will eventually break free."

"Okay."

He went quiet and stared down at the egg. It was still, even though every few moments we heard some noises from deep inside. I went back to looking at my feet but stayed quiet as well.

"This is going to sound weird, but... Can you sing? Like you were before?" He suddenly asked after five minutes of silence.

"Um, but it wasn't even singing, really. It was just humming."

He sighed. "Either way, I like it. It sounds...familiar. It's like someone's talking to me through it." He looked up at me, his cheeks flushed again. "And your voice is very pretty. It's just pleasant to listen to, singing or not." He looked back down at the egg, his long ears redder than his cheeks.

I hummed again, watching my feet and trying to keep tune. I was surprised how stage shy I suddenly was, knowing that someone was now listening. I kept forgetting where I was at in the song and going off tune. I didn't know what Link had meant by my voice being pleasant. To myself, I sounded horrible.

Suddenly, a piece of the egg fell into the water. I went silent, looking down to see a small beak pecking at the walls of its cage. Both of us instantly crawled up to the path, where Talon was still sleeping. We waited until all that was left of the egg was the small section the chick was standing in. Link then threw away the rest of the shell into the water and cradled the shivering chick.

"How do we get it to-"

We both jumped when the chick crowed loudly. There was a loud snort, and Talon sat straight up.

"What in tarnation? Can't a person get a little shut eye around here?"

"Hello, Mr. Talon!"

"Why, hello, Maple!" He looked down at Link. "Hello, and who might you be?"

"I'm Link. You're Talon, right?"

"Yep, I'm Talon, the owner of Lon Lon Ranch."

"Well, if you're the owner of Lon Lon Ranch, what are you doing here?"

Talon stroked his chin. "I went to the castle to deliver some milk, but I sat down here to rest, and I guess I fell asleep..."

"Well, Malon sent us here to find you. She gave us this chick to come find you." Link handed the small chick to him. "She's been looking for-"

"What?" He screamed, causing us to jump and the chick to cluck in surprise. "Malon was looking for me?" Link nodded, but said nothing. "I'm gonna catch it from her now! I messed up bad, leaving Malon behind to wait for me! She's really gonna let me have it!"

With that, Talon took off, the chick tucked tightly in his pocket. He ran so fast that he left the air full of dust.

"Well, that went well," I said, patting Link on the shoulder. He looked somewhat sad.

"I was kinda hoping...that we would get to keep the Cucco..."

"It was never really ours to keep, no?" Link shook his head. "Now, let's go!"

Link seemed to perk up and looked around.

"But, where?"

"Through there!" I pointed to a small crevice in the wall across the moat. It was a fountain, but the hole was large enough to crawl through. "It leads to the courtyard."

Link nodded and followed me.

We used the boxes that Talon had dropped off as a bridge to cross the moat. Once on the other side, I led the way, ducking down as far as I could and crawling through the hole.

It was uncomfortable. The water ran so far to the top of the hole that we had to tilt our heads back so they were pointing in the air to breath. I could hear Link sputtering behind me, and I knew that the only reason I wasn't was because I had had much practice climbing through this hole. It had been here for years, and I knew the technique.

Once out on the other side, I quickly helped Link up and out and around the corner, out of sight of the many guards.

"I'm sorry, I should have told you to tilt back your head!"

"Naw, it's okay," he managed to say after a great cough that made me look around nervously, "I figured it out quickly enough."

Once Link caught his breath, I motioned for him to be silent and to follow me.

We rounded the corner and found ourselves on the path that led to the inner courtyard. On the other side of the wall was a single guard, walking around a statue and watching the paths behind and in front of the statue. When the guard's back was turned for a moment, we silently ran up to a hedge, just next to the guard. We watched and waited for the guard to turn again, and we ducked down low, lower than the base of the statue, and ran. When we came close to the other side, we slowed, making sure the guard wasn't just beyond our sight, and continued.

It was like that for three more sections. One, sometimes two, guards patrolling a section of the path. We made it fairly quickly and without incident. When we cleared the last section of guards and ran for the clearing ahead, Link stopped me.

"What is with you?" He asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You were smiling that entire time! Weren't you afraid of getting caught?"

I didn't answer, and instead smiled and continued ahead.

The princess was standing at the other end of the courtyard, looking through a window. Because of this, her back was to us. When we got close, we slowed. About that time, the princess turned around.

She was beautiful, even for a ten year old. She had the brightest blue eyes, a heart shaped face, and a delicate nose that swooped gracefully down to her full lips.

She gasped. "Who? Who are you? How did you get passed the guards?"

"It's just me, your highness!" I said, bowing to her.

"Oh! Maple, what are you... Oh?" She went quiet. I looked up to see Link standing there very awkwardly, and Navi floating around his head. "What's that?"

"T-this?" Link asked, pointing to Navi.

"Is that...a fairy?"

"Yes. Her name is Navi."

"Then, are you... Are you from the forest?" Link nodded, his ears now pink. "Then...then...you wouldn't happen to have...the Spiritual Stone of the Forest, would you?"

"The...what?"

"That green and shining stone..."

"The Spiritual Stone of-"

"The Kokiri's Emerald," I said. "The stone the Deku Tree gave you."

"Do you have it?" She asked, now almost ready to explode from excitement at the sound of my words. Link nodded and pulled it out of his pocket. "Just as I thought!"

"I'm sorry, your highness, but what do you mean 'what you though'?" I asked.

The princess looked from me to Link. Her eyes rested on me, clearly showing that she needed the advice of a friend. "I had a dream... In the dream, dark storm clouds were billowing over the land of Hyrule... But suddenly, a ray of light shot out of the forest, parted the clouds and lit up the ground... The light turned into a figure holding a green and shining stone, followed by a fairy... I know this is a prophecy that someone would come from the forest..."

Understanding flashed between the two of us. The dark storm clouds weren't a good sign.

"So, you think I'm him?"

"Yes, I thought you might be the one..."

"So then, who are you?"

The princess gasped again. "Oh, I'm sorry! I got carried away with my story and didn't even properly introduce myself! I am Zelda, Princess of Hyrule."

Link jumped and then quickly bowed.

"What is your name?"

"L-link, um... Your highness." He looked at me, his face a literal question mark, clearly wanting to know if he was doing okay. I smiled and nodded.

"Link... Strange...it sounds somehow...familiar." She looked quickly at me and then back at Link. "Okay then, Link! I'm going to tell you the secret of the Sacred Realm that has been passed down by the Royal Family of Hyrule."

"Okay."

"Please keep this a secret from everyone..." She said nothing until Link and I nodded. She then stood straighter and clasped her hands together in front of her. "The legend goes like this...

"The three goddesses hid the Triforce containing the power of the gods somewhere in Hyrule."

"I'm sorry... What power?" Link asked. He looked embarrassed that he had interrupted her story. She smiled, however.

"The power to grant the wish of the one who holds the Triforce in his hands. If someone with a righteous heart makes a wish, it will lead Hyrule to a golden age of prosperity... If someone with an evil mind has his wish granted, the world will be consumed by evil... That is what has been told... So, the ancient Sages-"

"Built the Temple of Time to protect the Triforce from evil ones," I continued. Princess Zelda looked at me with only a small flash of surprise.

"That's right... The Temple of Time is the entrance through which you can enter the Sacred Realm from our world."

"But, if it's just a temple, your highness, then can't anyone get in?" Link asked.

"The entrance is sealed with a stone wall called the Door of Time. And, in order to open the door, it is said that you need to collect three Spiritual Stones. And another thing you need...is the treasure that the Royal Family keeps along with this legend..." She paused for effect, clearly loving the fact that she was getting to tell a story. I giggled slightly. "The Ocarina of Time! Did you understand well the story I just told you?"

Link looked at me and then nodded.

"That's great!"

"Um, Princess..." I interrupted. The worried look on my face was easily read, and her smile fell.

"I forgot to tell you... I was spying through this window just now... The other element from my dream...the dark clouds...I believe they symbolize...that man in there!"

Right when she said this, the man she was talking about must have come close to the wall we were standing by, because a great wave of evil energy hit me like a boulder. I felt my body sag from its weight. The power that man had! The evil!

"Will you look through the window at him?"

I shook my head, but I saw Link walk up to the window as I backed away. I found the small stream that ran through the courtyard and quickly made my way to it, splashing my face. I saw the princess out of the corner of my eye watching me with worry all over her face.

"Can you see the man with the evil eyes?" She whispered to Link. "That is Ganondorf, the leader of the Gerudos. They hail from the desert far to the west. Though he swears allegiance to my father, I am sure he is not sincere. The dark clouds that covered Hyrule in my dream... They must symbolize that man!" There was a brief pause. "What happened? Did he see you?"

"Y-yes!"

I stood back up and made my way back over to them. By the look on their faces, I must have looked terrible.

"Don't worry. He doesn't have any idea what we're planning...yet!"

"Did you tell your father about the dream?" I asked, trying my best to ignore the waves of evil energy flowing through the window.

"Yes. I told my father about my dream... However, he didn't believe it was a prophecy... But... I can sense that man's evil intentions!" She looked at me and then closed her eyes. "As I know you do as well. What Ganondorf is after must be nothing less than the Triforce of the Sacred Realm. He must have come to Hyrule to obtain it! And, he wants to conquer Hyrule...no, the entire world!" She finally opened her eyes and took one of my hands along with Link's. "Link, Maple...now, we are the only ones who can protect Hyrule! Please!"

Link and I nodded. "We will help you."

"Thank you!" She let go of our hands. "I...I am afraid..."

"Of what?" Link and I asked at the same time.

"I have a feeling that man is going to destroy Hyrule. He has such terrifying power! But it's fortunate that you two have come... "

"But what can we do? We're just kids!" Link asked.

"We must not let Ganondorf get the Triforce! I will protect the Ocarina of Time with all my power! He shall not have it! You both go find the other two Spiritual Stones! Let's get the Triforce before Ganondorf does, and then defeat him!" She reached into a pocket of her elaborate dress and pulled out a stationary. "One more thing... Take this letter... I'm sure it will be helpful to you." She then folded it in half and handed it to Link.

"Thank you, your highness!" Link said, looking down at the princess's signature at the bottom of the letter.

"My attendant, Impa, will guide you out of the castle. Do not be afraid of her."

Link turned around, as did I, and standing on the other side of the courtyard was a tall woman with the whitest hair either of us had ever seen, even though she was clearly young. Link nodded and walked away. I started to follow, when a hand touched my shoulder.

"Maple... What do you think? Do you think I interpreted my dream correctly?" Princess Zelda asked me. I shrugged.

"I can't know for sure. Sounds like you're probably right, though. I mean, you were right about one part of it, anyways..." We both looked at Link, who was now talking to the strange woman.

"Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

I felt my brows knit together. "I don't know. To me, it seems we shouldn't try to get to the Sacred Realm. It should remain closed, no matter what."

"But what if Ganondorf gets to it first?"

"As long as you have the Ocarina, he won't be able to get in. But, by the time we open the door and get the Triforce, he could have discovered our plan. What's to stop a full grown, very powerful man from stopping a couple of kids!"

"But, you're not a kid..." She said, hopefully.

"I am in the body of one, and my powers are weak compared to his; I can sense it. We could be walking into a trap."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Go back to your father and tell him that a portion of your dream came true. He'll have to reconsider the rest of your dream."

She stared at me for a brief moment, and then sighed and shook her head. "I can't. He already told me not to bug him about it anymore."

At that point, the meadow was full of the sound of music. Impa was teaching Link how to play the melody of the Royal Family on his ocarina he had received from Saria.

"I should go," I said, patting the princess on the back. "And take my advice; go back to your father."

The princess squeezed my hand and then I crossed the courtyard. The song was over by the time I reached the two of them.

"Aw, Maple. I should have guessed. Now come. The guards will be angry if they catch you leaving the castle. I will escort you two out."


	8. Chapter 8

Outside of the castle, back in Hyrule Field, Impa stopped. She motioned to the field and castle and looked at us. "You brave lads... We must protect this beautiful land of Hyrule!" She pointed to the east, where far away a tall mountain's summit was surrounded by a white ring of smoke. "Take a good look at that mountain. That is Death Mountain, home of the Gorons. They hold the Spiritual Stone of Fire. At the foot of Death Mountain you will find my village, Kakariko. That is where I was born and raised. You should talk to some of the villagers there before you go up Death Mountain. The song I just taught you has some mysterious power. Only Royal Family members are allowed to learn this song. Remember, it will help to prove your connection with the Royal Family. The Princess is waiting for you to return to the castle with the stones."

Link nodded. "We'll return as soon as we can."

Impa nodded as well. "All right. We're counting on you!"

Link and I turned our backs for only a brief moment, and then she was gone.

"Where did she go?" Link asked, clearly surprised.

I shrugged. "Probably went back to the Princess. Now come on. Kakariko is a good three hours away. By the time we get there it will be nightfall."

"Are we going to camp out in the field, again?"

I shook my head as I started walking. "No. There is a place where we can stay for the night."

We walked for a few moments in complete silence, until a small rumbling broke it.

"Sorry," Link mumbled. "I'm hungry."

I felt my stomach turn as well. "It's okay. I'm hungry as well."

"Are we going to eat soon, then?"

"Not until we get to the village." Link said nothing.

Our hunger and thirst distracted us as we walked. The mountain just seemed to be getting farther away instead of closer with every hour that passed. But, finally, the mountain opened as if from no where, and inside the valley was what I knew to be the village of Kakariko.

It took another ten minutes after passing under the shadows of the valley walls before we reached Kakariko. By the time we had, the sun had disappeared beyond the walls and the village was dark.

"It must not be bright here during the day," Link said, his voice somewhat hoarse after being quiet for so long, "at least, not for long, anyways."

"Yes, the valley walls completely surround this village. Couple that with the mountain and this village stays pretty cool and quiet, even during the day."

"Alright, so where are we going?"

"Just follow me."

I led Link to the very center of the village, where a knew a kind older lady often cooked meals for the workers and homeless in the village. She also almost always had a couple of beds open for travelers on their way to or from the castle. When we reached the door, I lightly knocked.

A lady with dark brown hair and gentle brown eyes appeared on the other side. "Oh, how lovely to see you again, dear!" She said, opening her door wide. "I hope you're hungry! Soup has been done for a few minutes, now!"

Link and I followed her inside the small house. The inside was fairly cluttered, due to the fact that there were three bunk beds scattered next to the walls. In the far corner of the room was a fireplace and on it a large pot, where she readied us two heaping bowls of potato soup. We sat down at the table in the center of the room. Neither of us spoke as we ate, and the woman didn't bother us. She could see we were tired.

The woman didn't let us clean our own bowls. Instead, she readied us a bunk and left the room.

"Nice lady," Link said as he crawled up onto the top bunk. "Have you known her for long?"

"I've known her for a couple of years, yes." I pulled the clean sheets over my body and laid my head down on the pillow. It felt good to be in a bed after a couple of weeks of sleeping on the floor.

"Has she always been this nice?"

"Yes. As long as I've known her, anyways."

It was quiet again. It was dark as well. The lady, whose name always seemed to escape me, had blown out all but one candle when she had left. There were no sounds except for creaks above me as Link tried to get comfortable.

After about five minutes, I heard a soft thud next to my head. I kept my eyes closed and my back turned, but I still felt Link lightly touch my shoulder.

"You awake?" He whispered in my ear.

I sighed and sat up. "I am now."

"Oh, sorry. I...didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. Can't be undone now. What's wrong?"

I saw Link fidget slightly. I finally sighed again and moved so I was against the wall. Link sat down next to me.

"I'm sorry. I've just...never been outside the forest. All this kinda...scares me," he said after he had settled. I could barely make out his eyes in the darkness, the one candle reflecting only slightly off of them.

I stared at his shape for a long moment, and then heard myself giggle.

"You're an oddly honest boy, aren't you?"

There was a brief pause, and I imagined Link's brows knitting together in the darkness.

"Why shouldn't I be? I've never had a reason to lie."

"I've just never met a boy who admitted to being scared before."

"Well, everyone gets scared, right? Why should I hide the fact that I am?"

"I'm not saying that you should hide it... I'm just..." I sighed. What _was _I saying? "I just think it's cute, that's all."

"Cute?" I saw Link's head duck slightly, and now that my eyes had adjusted I could almost see the blush on his cheeks. "You think I'm cute?"

I started. "Why wouldn't I?" I asked. When I saw the look on his face, I huffed. "Listen, don't take that comment the wrong way, okay?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm too old for you."

This time, Link huffed. "You're only a couple years older than me, you know. It's not _that_ much older."

"Only a couple? I'm way older than-" I paused, and then sighed. "You're only nine. And you're on an adventure to save Hyrule. You're much too young-and too busy-to be getting a crush on anyone."

Link sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. That's...actually not even why I came down here..."

"What did you come down here for, then?"

"Well, I wanted to know how you met the Princess."

I blinked. "That's all? ... Same as you. Snuck in one day and ever since, we've been friends."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yep. Why did you want to know that?"

"No reason," he mumbled. "Just wondered."

"That's all you...wanted..."

"Yes. I couldn't sleep and I heard you rolling around more than me, so I knew you were awake. Suddenly thought of the question and came down to ask..."

It suddenly hit me, and I laughed. "You think she's cute, huh?"

"What! No! ... Well, she's pretty...but that's not why! And aside from that, I've met someone prettier than her, so that doesn't even matter! I just honestly wanted to know how you met her!" I saw him puff out his chest slightly, as if to make a point.

"Oh yeah? She's often considered the most beautiful young lady in Hyrule! Who could you have possibly met that is prettier than her?"

"Oh yeah! I think that-" he suddenly went quiet. He then folded his arms, huffed, and leaned against his knees, staring at the foot of the bed.

"Aw, did I hit a sour note?" I asked in a slightly mocking voice.

"No!"

"Then what's wrong?" I fake cooed.

"You told me not to talk about it anymore..."

"Well, I'm asking now... So, what note did I hit?" He sighed and he mumbled something that I didn't quite hear. I giggled and placed a hand at my ear. "I didn't quite catch that!"

"I think that _you're_ much prettier than her..."

It was said so quiet that I almost thought I'd misheard. I then felt my cheeks flush, probably deeper than his were now.

"Um... We should probably get to bed..." It was suddenly very awkward having him sit next to me.

Link jumped up so fast that I almost thought something had bit him.

"O-okay. Good night." The bed creaked as he climbed the ladder and disappeared above.

I laid back down, but suddenly wasn't tired. Why did the thought that he thought that I was pretty please me? He was much too young! I was so old I didn't even know _how_ old I was! Why was I suddenly wishing that he was still sitting next to me?

I groaned and rolled onto my back, looking up at the bottom of Link's bed. He seemed as restless as me, sighing just a few moments after rolling over as well.

After fifteen minutes, I finally felt my eyes getting heavy and my thoughts jumble. I was groggy enough that I didn't even hear Link jump back down. It was only when he spoke that I woke up enough to realize he was sitting next to me again.

"I know this is an awkward time to ask...but if I don't get under...can I...?" He didn't finish the question, but sounded embarrassed to be asking all the same.

I didn't hear myself answer, but I felt him settling in next to me, and I was gone.

* * *

><p>When I woke up quite awhile later, it was still dark outside, the other beds full of the noises of sleeping people. The lady who owned the house was sitting in an armchair, knitting while watching the flames in the fireplace burn brightly. I then turned and, for a brief moment, forgot why Link was lying just a few feet away. I then remembered and realized that the lady and I weren't the only ones awake.<p>

"You awake?" Link asked very quietly. None of the other sleeping people reacted, but the lady paused very briefly in her knitting.

"Yes. Why are you?" I asked, siting up on my elbow so I was looking down at him, since he wasn't facing me.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Why not?"

He didn't answer for a few moments. He finally looked at me, his face glowing orange from the light of the fireplace. "I can't hear the forest. It's too quiet."

"Is that why you wanted to sleep down here...with...?" I didn't finish, feeling my cheeks flush.

He didn't answer right away. "Yes. I was hoping that...your presence would calm me down enough to sleep...that, and the sound of your breathing...almost sounds like the wind at night..."

"Oh... You...want me to help?"

Link looked at me as his brows became one. "What do you mean?"

"Remember what I said about..." I didn't say it out loud, out of fear of anyone hearing, and instead lightly touched his cheek where it had been cut just the night before. I saw his ears turn red but he said nothing. "I can use it to help you sleep."

"Really?" I nodded. "For how long?"

"As long as you want."

"So, until sunrise, then?"

"Yes, though I don't know how long until-"

"Children, please, do go back to sleep." Link and I both jumped, realizing that the woman had snuck up to us. "There's only three hours until sunrise. Wouldn't want anyone to lose sleep, would we?" She smiled and then went back to her chair and knitting.

"Do you think she heard...?" Link whispered even quieter.

"I don't know. But three hours. Sound good?" He nodded. "Okay. Close your eyes."

Link's eyes closed slowly, as if he didn't quite know if he wanted them closed. I then sat up straighter and leaned over him. I closed my eyes, letting the magic flow through me. I then leaned close to him, so our faces where mere centimeters apart. As I opened my eyes, I let out a deep breath, letting the air rush over his mouth and nose. As I opened my eyes and my breath died away I saw, for a fleeting second, Link's eyes boring into my own. They were full of an emotion that I didn't quite understand. But then, it was gone, his eyes fluttering closed as my magic took over him. He then breathed deeply and was suddenly sleeping as if he had been for hours.

I then wondered if using my spell that way had been a good idea. I could have just placed my hand over his eyes and it would have worked. But, with how little time we had till sunset and how rested we needed him to be, breathing the spell out onto him was the most effective way. But was it smart? What would it lead to?

What would he say in the morning?

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><p><strong>Alright, so I know that there is probably going to be <em>someone<em> not happy about how I've made Link act so far, but face it, if you were in his shoes, wouldn't you be scared half to death? He's nine years old, lived in the forest his entire life, known very few people (no adults at all) and suddenly he's thrown out into the world full of busy people! If I were him, I'd be scared! But that's what makes him courageous: facing things that scare him. It's unrealistic to think that he would just jump into his role with a smile on his face.**

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	9. Chapter 9

The next morning, I was surprised to find that Link was already awake, sitting at the table eating breakfast. The lady was talking to him, and everyone else who had slept there the night before was long gone. When I sat up, the lady stood and started preparing me a plate. Link turned to me and smiled as if nothing had happened the night before. Although, I could sense something hidden there, behind his eyes. An awkwardness he was trying his best to hide.

"Good morning, dear!" She said as I seated myself next to Link, whose plate was empty. A full plate was set in front of me. "Your friend here has been awake since about sunrise, but he didn't want to wake you!"

"How long ago was sunrise?"

"Oh, about two hours ago, dear."

"What! Why didn't you wake me?" I asked, more to Link than her. He frowned.

"Well, dear, neither of us wanted to wake you!" The lady said.

"Why not?"

"Well...neither of us wanted it to stop!"

"Wanted _what_ to-"

"So," Link said loudly, cutting me off, "how did you sleep?"

I studied him for a few moments. His eyes were cautious, as if waiting to hear that some invisible line had been crossed and to expect retaliation.

"Fine. Nothing I can think of I regret, anyways." I watched him closely, and knew he understood me when a sly grin spread across his face, ear to ear. "What about you?"

"Great!" He exclaimed, his mood suddenly so bright the room seemed to glow. "Perfect!" I practically choked on my food at the look on his face.

We spent the rest of the next half hour talking. The lady told us jokes and about her time as a young maiden looking for a husband. When she started talking about a summer in her youth when she had found her first love, Link suddenly turned very red and became very preoccupied with his belt. I knew why: the lady had clearly heard a good portion of our conversation last night and clearly thought there was something between us.

The fact that Link had moved to my bunk probably didn't help much, either.

After we were done, the lady sent us with a loaf of bread and a canteen of water. I then lead him in the direction of the gate that blocked the path to the Death Mountain Trail. We said nothing, although Link was oddly cheery, humming the tune I had sung the day before and doing a bad job at it. Singing was definitely not his future profession.

When we reached the trail and gate, the guard blocked our path with his spear and scowled down at us.

"The trail's closed ahead! Can't you read? Oh, wait, you're just kids! You probably can't read yet!"

"We know how to read!" I yelled. Link, however, said nothing.

"Well, then let me remind you: there's no passage without permission from the King!"

"Will this work?" Link asked, pulling out the letter the Princess had given him. The guard looked down at it for a brief moment, and then laughed.

"A hero of Hyrule, huh? Ha! Alright, I'll let you two pass! But this is a active volcano. You'll need a proper shield. Go back to the castle town market to the bazaar there. Tell the manager I sent you, and he'll give you a discount on one. Now be careful, 'mister hero'!" The man broke out into hysterical laughter, barely managing to crank the wheel that raised the gate.

"I'll leave it open for you! Shield or no!"

When Link started to walk down the trail, I grabbed his arm. "We'll need a shield. He's right; it's an active volcano. Let's go back to the bazaar and see what we can find."

"But, the castle's three hours away!"

"We don't have a better option..."

On our way back down to the village, the lady stopped us.

"Where are you going, dears?"

"We have to buy a shield, ma'am, from the castle town bazaar," Link said.

"Oh, but that's so far! Why not look around town? I hear that there were many soldiers buried here, in the graveyard! Might be something interesting to tell your families you saw!" With that, she disappeared back into her house.

Link and I looked at each other briefly and set off. I had a feeling that the only reason he had looked away was because he knew it would make me uncomfortable.

Sure enough, one of the graves served as a tomb for soldiers in the Hylian Royal Army. We were able to move the headstone, revealing the tomb, and saw down below a well preserved, metal Hylian shield. Link lowered me down gently and then helped me back up, shield in my arms. Just as we slid the headstone back into place, a little boy came into the graveyard, demanding what we were doing. We were able to make a break for it, but the boy stared after us suspiciously.

"Well, it isn't a new shield, but it'll do the job," I said examining it as we made our way back to the trail. Link grabbed it and felt its weight.

"I don't think I'll be able to use it just yet. It's a little heavy. But I'll wear it on my back all the same."

The guard let us pass, as he had promised, and we set off up the trail.

"How far to the 'jorons' city?" Link asked after about five minutes.

I laughed. "Goron City," I corrected, "and about two hours down the trail."

Link sighed. "More walking... Oh well." He then proceeded to hum again.

"Why are you so happy?" I asked after a few minutes of what I almost considered torture.

"You know, if you don't like my singing, _you_ can sing instead."

I sighed. "Not what I meant. What's with you? You're practically skipping."

"Am I not allowed to be happy?"

"No. Just wondering why."

Link slowed slightly, his walk becoming more normal so as to talk better. "Just...happy you don't hate me."

"Hate you? Why would I hate you?"

"Because of what I said...last night." His ears turned red at the thought, as did mine.

"Well, what was said was said. We can't dwell on it."

Navi fluttered from inside Link's hat. "Oh, what was said last night! Something interesting, from the sound of it!"

"You were there," I said.

"Oh, yes, but I was sleeping! I want to know!"

"I told her she was pretty," Link said with such confidence that I sighed and pinched my nose between my thumb and forefinger.

"That she is!" Navi exclaimed.

"What about the part where you basically admitted you have a crush on me and think our age difference doesn't matter?"

Link's confidence didn't falter.

"Oh, he said that, did he? Why _does_ the difference matter, though?"

"It just...does."

"But why?" Link asked, his confidence finally wavering.

"I don't want to talk about it..."

"Okay...then did you know you were singing in your sleep this morning?"

"Wait, what?"

"That's why we didn't want to wake you up. After I woke up, you started singing. We sat and listened to you until you stopped about five minutes before you woke up."

I huffed. "What is it that everyone likes about that damn song!"

Link scoffed at my language. "Well in general, your voice is very pleasant. For me, the song calms me. It sounds familiar, like I've heard it in a dream before."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said: it's like I've heard it in a dream, and in the dream it calmed me, and even now does the same."

I didn't realize I had stopped until Link turned around and came back. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Just thinking."

"Okay..."

Was it possible that I had sung that song in the brief few moments we had been together when he was a child? Now that I was thinking about it, after his mother had died, I had followed him around the forest until I was told to leave. Had his strange calmness been because I had been unknowingly singing to myself? Was he remembering the song from then?

"Hello?"

"What?" I asked, realizing that he had been saying something.

"Why are you shy around me when you sing? At the castle, when you didn't know I was listening, you sounded beautiful... But once you knew, I could hardly hear you..."

"It's natural to be shy when someone is listening to you sing. I'm not used to having anyone listen..."

"Well, people listen all the time, you know." When I looked at him with my brows raised, he shrugged. "Daisy said that you come through the town all the time singing. You never seem to notice that people stop whatever they're doing to listen."

"Daisy?" I laughed to myself. _That_ was her name! The lady who took care of us last night!

"So, I don't realize why you're shy. People listen all the time. You sing much better than I do, and I don't mind anyone listening..."

"I just haven't had practice..._knowing_ that anyone is listening, anyways..."

"Then practice now!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't feel like singing..."

"Well, if you don't, I will." I groaned, stopping him before he began. He laughed. "If you don't want me to sing, then you do it. It'll make the trip go by much faster."

We were quiet as we stared at each other for a long moment. I hadn't realized that we had stopped walking altogether. Link seemed to realize this about the same time, too, because his cheeks turned red. He didn't move, however. Link smiled and opened his mouth, as if he was going to start bellowing out a song. I finally sighed, closed my eyes, and sang.

Keeping my eyes closed seemed to help. My heart didn't seem to pound so hard. It almost seemed like I was just singing to myself.

I felt Link grab my hand, his warm and slightly shaking as if he wasn't sure he should. But he merely guided me down the trail, my eyes still closed, his hand tight around mine. After awhile, I finally opened them, realizing that the sun was now higher in the sky; right above us. I knew we were getting close. Any minute now, we would be passing Dodongo's Cavern, a place I knew was only about fifteen minutes from Goron City.

When I opened my eyes, I stopped singing. Link looked back at me to see looking at him. His face turned red and he started to let go of my hand. I found myself squeezing it, however, keeping it from leaving. His hand was comforting, and the thought of letting go was unsettling. He squeezed it back, his face turning bright red again, a smile now on his face.

As we neared the cavern, the trail suddenly got steeper, and was much harder to keep a steady pace. It was now necessary for our hands to be joined, for the shoes I had picked out, which were ideal for long walks across Hyrule, were not meant for hiking. I now wished I had grabbed different ones when I had left for the forest...but how was I to know we were going to soon be hiking?

"You okay?" Link asked, worried, when my thin shoe allowed a very sharp object to break through the sole to my foot and cause me to yelp in pain.

"I'm...fine," I replied, stopping for a brief moment to heal my now bleeding foot.

"Those shoes...aren't good for this..."

"Yes, I realized that a few min-ARGH!" Another sharp object cut my foot, worse than the last since there was now a hole in my shoe and nothing to protect my foot. I groaned and quickly healed it. I felt my power waver, since this cut was deeper than the last. I wasn't going to be able to do this much longer.

Link said nothing, and instead tried to help me get over the sharp rocks. But it was no use. Another rock punctured my now sore foot, and another almost broke through my only good shoe. I finally stopped and leaned against a large rock, examining my foot. My powers didn't heal the last one all the way; there was still a large cut and blood oozing out of the wound after I tried. I took off both of my shoes and dropped them in my small pouch.

"Useless things," I mumbled, wiping the blood off of my hand with a small cloth.

"Can't you heal that?" Link asked, noticing that I wasn't setting my foot down. As a result, the blood had stained the gravel under it.

"No. My powers are drained after the last two."

"But..."

"Magic isn't infinite. You can only use so much in a short time. These cuts were really deep and drained a lot of magic with each healing. Now, I have nothing left to heal this one all the way."

"Is it...gone forever, your powers?"

I laughed. "No, of course not! I haven't _lost_ my powers. I just don't have enough energy to use anymore."

"Then what do we do?" He asked. He fidgeted slightly, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"You just keep following the path up. You'll know you're close when you see the Gorons. I'll head back down, find some new shoes, and meet you in the city."

Link shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving you."

"Well, what do you suggest we do, then?"

Link stared at me for a long moment. I knew he had an idea; he just was afraid to say it out loud.

"Well..." he finally mumbled. "When you cut your foot the first time, I thought maybe I should carry you... Now it seems that I need to..."

I laughed. "I probably weigh as much as you, if not more! I don't know if you'd be able to carry me up the entire mountain-side!"

Link puffed out his chest. "I'm stronger than you think, you know! You won't be too heavy!"

"Fine! If you can manage to carry me up there, go ahead! If you can't, you have to promise to leave me and I'll go back to the village."

Link's eyes suddenly grew big. "But-"

"Promise!"

He sighed. "Alright. I promise... It won't come to that, though."

Link came close to me, suddenly really red in the ears and face, and held out his arms. I carefully hobbled over to him, putting an arm around his neck. He gently swooped my legs out from under me, being careful with my foot, and lifted me as if I weighed nothing.

Our faces were now completely level with each other, and for what seemed a really long time, we just stared, our faces the closest they had been since last night. Link's face didn't turn red as usual. It was instead strong, staring at me with an unwavering confidence much like before. I was finally the one to break the intense gaze.

"Um..."

Link seemed to come to himself and turned red. He nodded and started up the trail.

About a hundred feet up the trail, the path turned so we were going in the opposite direction. At the turn was a giant boulder, blocking the entrance to what I knew was the cavern. I didn't say anything, however. My powers were trying to come back, and since I had used so much, I was suddenly groggy. I also knew that the steady rocking as Link carried me up the mountain wasn't helping, either.

I felt my head fall onto Link's shoulder. I felt, more than heard, him chuckle.

"Tired already?"

I tried to speak, but all that came out was, "Mmm..."

"But it's still daylight."

A long string of mumbles came from me, and I distinguished the words "power" and "drain." Link chuckled again.


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, I just want to take a moment to say thanks for the raving reviews, Crowlet! Every one of them made me either laugh or reread them (especially that last one, laughed for a full five minutes)! I actually almost rewrote the last three chapters, because I almost felt as if they were rushed (just kept writing and couldn't stop!), but maybe not anymore :)**

**Well, hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

><p>When I awoke, I was leaning against a wall, sitting on a very plush carpet. As I opened my eyes, a pair of blue eyes suddenly came into focus.<p>

"You're awake," Link said, clearly relieved. "I wanted to find you a bed to rest on...but the Gorons didn't know what a bed was...so I found this carpet..."

I looked down at my foot to see that it was wrapped.

"Oh, the Gorons gave me some medicine to put on your foot, and gave me a bandage."

I reached down and rubbed my foot. It throbbed painfully. "Thanks!"

"Can you heal it, yet?"

"No. My powers haven't fully recovered. I'll just have to let it heal the old fashioned way..." I then realized that Link still seemed nervous. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing... Well, yeah, it's something... I don't really like these 'Goron' people... They make me nervous..."

At that moment, a Goron came down the stairs not far from us and started walking toward us. He was large, slightly larger than the average adult, with skin as tough as leather, and rocks protruding from his head and back. His arms and body were long, his legs only about as long as ours despite his size. He was slightly humanoid looking, although his nose was very small and he had no ears.

I had seen Gorons before, but seeing them through the eyes of someone like Link, I suddenly knew why they made him nervous...

"How is the female human fairing?" He asked in a deep voice as he approached. I noticed that he had a tattoo of the Goron tribe's crest on his arm; a paw-like symbol made of four triangles.

"Fine," I said, standing up.

"Did the medicine and cloth I gave the boy help?" He asked, gesturing to my foot with a long finger.

"Yes. Now it can heal properly."

"Good. Take these," He held out a pair of black leggings and boots, "They will prove more sufficient while scaling the mountain."

I took them gratefully. "Thank you!"

The Goron nodded and then turned, walking back up the stairs. I then realized that the city was completely vertical, made of four tiers. We were on the bottom-most tier.

"Why are we down here?" I asked as I pulled on the leggings under my dress, surprised that they were more like super thick tights; the feet were sowed closed.

"The chief is down here, I guess. Through this door." Link gestured to a large stone door with a large Goron crest on it. "I can't seem to open it, however."

I laced up my boots, surprised at how well they fit, being careful with my foot.

"Have you tried playing the song Impa taught you?"

"Well, I thought of that," he said, "One of the Gorons told me that the chief was 'waiting for the royal family's messenger,' so I figured I had to play the song... I've just been waiting for you to wake up."

"Hm... I'm awake now, so go ahead and play it."

Link nodded and then pulled out his ocarina. He then played the lullaby Impa had taught him.

I had to admit, for someone who couldn't sing to save his life, he had a natural talent with the instrument.

After the song was over, the stone door suddenly rose, disappearing into the ceiling above.

"Well, here we go," he said as he put the instrument away. He waited for me to hobble over to him, and he then held out his hand, the shyness he had displayed before gone. I took it, and we walked into the corridor together.

The corridor was long, and at the end it opened into a medium sized room, completely lit from the two torches in the far corners. The same plush rug I had woken up on decorated the floor in here, and two tables were set against the wall to our right. Directly in front of us, standing in front of a giant Goron statue, was the chief.

The chief was taller than the other Gorons, and was the only one I had ever seen that actually seemed to have hair. It protruded from his head and chin in one wild, giant tangle. The moment we had entered the room, he looked at us and scoffed.

"What the heck! Who are you?" He yelled, his voice booming. As we got closer he folded his arms and glared down at us. "When I heard the song of the Royal Family, I expected their messenger had arrived, but...you're just little kids! Has Darunia, the big boss of the Gorons, really lost so much status to be treated like this by his Sworn Brother, the King?"

"Um, no sir... We were sent here by the Princess-"

"Now I'm REALLY angry! Get out of my face, now!"

"If I may ask," I said, raising my voice, "Why are you so-"

"Are you asking why I'm in such a bad mood right now?" Link and I nodded. He glared at us for a second, and then he took a deep breath. "Ancient creatures have infested the Dodongo's Cavern! We've had a poor harvest of our special crop, Bomb Flowers! Starvation and hunger because of the rock shortage!" He rushed out in one breath. He then paused, taking another deep breath again. "But... This is a Goron problem! We don't need any help from strangers!"

"But, sir, we need to get the-"

"GET OUT!"

Link and I jumped and ran from the room.

Once we were in the larger room, we stopped and looked at each other. Both of us knew that this was hopeless. At that moment, the Goron from earlier (or at least I thought so; they all looked so much alike) appeared.

"How was brother?"

"He wasn't too happy to see us. Threw us out..." Link said, trying his best to hide his nerves.

"Oh I see... By the way, have you been down that corridor, on the tier above? There is a strange kind of music coming from in there that we all really like! It cheers us so..." He sighed and then walked away.

We didn't notice until the Goron was gone that our hands were still joined. They sprang apart, almost of their own accord, and we filled the awkward silence by followed the Goron up the staircase.

On the next tier, we could see perfectly the tier below. In the middle was a great, Goron statue, shaped like a vase. On the other side of the statue, which I hadn't noticed, was another room.

We walked around the path until we found the corridor that the Goron had mentioned. We walked down it, and as we got closer, we realized that there was, indeed, music coming from it. And it reminded me of...

"The forest!" Link suddenly exclaimed. "That's the song that Saria used to play for us all the time on this ocarina!" He looked frantically at the giant boulders blocking the rest of the corridor. "Do you have any idea where this leads?"

"Possibly back to the forest."

"But...that's so far away..."

"Long ago, the ancient Sages built corridors that were used as shortcuts between the different realms of Hyrule. This is possibly one of them, thought it looks like it hasn't been used in ages..."

"So, this leads back to the forest?" I nodded. "Well, how do we get through with those boulders?"

He was so excited, practically jumping up and down, unable to contain himself. His eyes were large, almost as if he were pleading...

I pointed toward the ground, where in the corner of the corridor, grew a rare Bomb Flower. "If we figure out a way to light that, then it will blast the boulders to pieces and we can get through."

"How do we do that?"

"Remember the torches in Darunia's room? If we go back in there and just tell him we want some light, he might let us light a stick and we can use it to light the fuse!"

Link beamed. "Okay, let's go!"

Both of us ran back down the stairs, although I slowed us slightly, and into Darunia's room. He was about to yell at us, when Link pulled out a short stick.

"Can we use some of that fire? That's all; we swear!"

Darunia stared at us for a long moment, and then waved at us. Link ran over to the torch and then ran back down the corridor, with me not far behind. We ran as fast as we could, considering that the stick would burn up fairly quickly. Once in the dark corridor, Link used the light from the stick to find the fuse, and he quickly lit it, dropping the stick just as the fuse lit and the stick burnt up.

"We got it!" He exclaimed. I grabbed his arm and yanked him out of the corridor, just as the fuse ran out and the bomb went off.

I slapped my hands over my ears just as the bomb exploded. My ears throbbed from the sound, and I guessed that one of my ear drums might have burst. Sure enough, once the ground had stopped shaking, one of my ears was bleeding and throbbing painfully.

I stood up and brushed the dirt from the blast off of my dress, with the hand that wasn't now covered in blood. I then felt Link tap my shoulder.

"I can't hear anything!" He yelled, though his voice was distant. I knew it would take awhile for my hearing to recover. I then realized that _both_ of Link's ears were bleeding. Apparently, he hadn't thought of covering his ears.

I pulled my piece of cloth out of my pouch and used it to clean my hand. I then motioned for him to come closer and he did. I placed a hand over each of his ears and healed his burst drums. The magic, however, caused me to sway slightly, and Link caught me just before I fell over.

"You okay?" He asked, looking concerned again.

"Can you hear, now?"

"Yes, perfectly. You should have saved it for yourself, however," He said, motioning to my bleeding ear.

"No, you're the one whose going to be learning to play whatever song that is. _You_ need to hear more than I do." Link didn't say anything, but he didn't look too pleased, either. "Aside from that, I can still hear out of one ear. I'll let my magic recover and I'll heal this one." I stood up. "Now, let's go. This corridor will cut our journey in half, but it will still be a long one."

As we walked, the corridor got darker and darker. And then it suddenly started to drop. This almost caused me to fall over, considering that I was still slightly limping.

"This is no use," Link said, frustrated. "I can't see a thing!"

"And I don't have enough power to create a light source for us..."

At that point, Navi sprang out of Link's hat, making a sigh that sounded like ringing bells. "I might be able to help with that."

And she did. The light from her body lit up the corridor ten feet on either side.

"Perfect! You're a life-saver, Navi!" Link said as the fairy settled on his shoulder opposite me.

"No problem, Link! Just...don't wake me up, okay? I'm going to go back to sleep."

"But, won't you fall off?"

"I might, but if I do I _know_ how to fly," She laughed and then went quiet.

Link then looked at me and shrugged. We started walking again and I noticed the path getting even steeper. I grabbed Link's hand for support when I felt my foot slip slightly.

"You know, with how much you keep grabbing my hand, I might start to think that you like me, too," he said, a smirk on his face.

I sighed and shook my head, "I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that." But I couldn't help but smile as well.

The trip down the path was shorter than I expected. I had a feeling that the path had a bit of old magic in it, because about a hundred feet after the path grew steep, it leveled out. Another hundred feet and the path shot upwards. And then, there was a light ahead of us. When the light broke through the darkness, Link squeezed my hand even tighter and pulled me faster up the hill. And then...

We were in the forest, the path bursting out of a particularly large boulder. But _where_ in the forest we were, I wasn't sure. It was a section I had never been to before. The trees here were insanely thick, so thick that I couldn't see the sky above or the sun, even though it had to be pretty bright out. I also couldn't see very far ahead. We were standing in a very small clearing, as if the trees were afraid of the boulder, but where the trees began I could no longer see.

And the song seemed to be coming from everywhere...

I started to pull my hand from Link's so I could get a better look, but he suddenly was fierce, pulling me back close to him.

"Don't," he whispered. "We're in the Lost Woods..."

That explained why I didn't recognize this place; I had never wandered this far into the forest.

"Why not? I just want to look around..."

"No," he said, stern. I looked at him to see that he was very serious. "People who wander in here with no fairy get lost and are never seen again. If you let go of me you'll be gone..."

The fear in his voice scared me.

"So, don't let go?" I whispered, trying to keep my voice steady. I felt him squeeze my hand to steady its sudden shaking.

"Don't be scared," He said, trying his best to look and sound calm. I could still see the tenseness in his eyes, however. "I won't let you go, I promise. I know where to go. Just...stay close, okay?"

I nodded, suddenly not wanting to be more than a few inches from him. Now I knew why the deeper sections of the forest had always scared me; if they had this effect on the local Kokiri, then what chance did an outsider like me have?

Link pulled me close and started walking, slowly. He then became very deliberate in his direction, pulling me suddenly faster. I thought, for a brief moment, that the song seemed to be coming from the direction that he was heading...and then it was gone, distant again.

Link slowed, and then made a sharp turn. He stood still for a moment, and then pulled me forward.

It went like this for about a half an hour, and Link never loosened his grip the entire time. I could tell that he knew where he was going, but I had a feeling that his nervousness came from my presence. He kept looking back at me, as if to check that nothing was going to sneak up on me and yank me from his grasp. And every time he looked back he pulled me a little closer.

Every time he did this, I squeezed his hand to let him know that I was still there.

Link finally sighed, and for the briefest moment his hand loosened. But then he seemed to remember and squeezed it again. Moments later, the trees thinned out, and we were suddenly in a giant meadow. Link then let go of my hand.

"We're here," he said in relief.

I could only stare. I _knew_ where we were! It was a place I had only heard of but never dreamed I would get to see; the Sacred Forest Meadow! It was said to be the home to one of the ancient temples that housed one of the sages.

Link turned to me to say something, when I saw something move behind him. His back was to it, so there was no chance he would be able to see. It didn't even make a sound...

"NO!" I heard myself scream. I felt the magic flow through every particle of my being and I threw it forward, into the wolf that was twice as tall as a grown man. It had been in mid-pounce, its claws mere inches from Link, a blow I knew would have been instantly fatal with how large it was compared to him.

My magic hit the creature and it yelped. The force of the blast sent it flying backward, right into an oversized tree. The blow shattered its spine, and it went still.

I don't know why, but I was suddenly crying. I could feel, more than see, Link standing in front of me, confused about what had just happened. I finally heard him sigh and then his arms were around me.

I was usually taller than him by a couple of inches, but because of my bum leg and how I was now hunched over, I was able to feel his breath on my forehead.

"Hey, don't cry," he said.

"Y-you c-could've d-died!" I sobbed.

I heard him laugh. I knew that I should have been mad at him for laughing. It wasn't funny! But... I couldn't. All I could do was be happy that he was still there...

"Pull yourself together, Maple," he said gently, forcing me up straight so I was looking at him. "I'm fine, no?"

He was right. I took a deep breath and nodded. It took me a moment, but I finally wiped my eyes and stood straight.

As my vision cleared, I realized that Link was smirking.

"W-what?" I said, my voice still suffering the effects of my sobs.

"Oh, nothing," he said, raising an eyebrow, his smirk growing larger.

"Tell me!"

He waggled his eyebrows. "_You_ just saved me!"

"So?"

"So! I was right! _You_ like me!"

I scoffed. "I do not! It just means I care!"

"Sure," he said dragging out the word.

I glared at him. "Wasn't there something we came here to do!"

His eyes grew large. "Oh yeah! Come on! It's not far!"


	11. Chapter 11

**I can't believe I've gotten so many reviews in such a short time! Barely posted chapter 10 and I had new reviews! Thank you everyone, so much!**

**Oh, and for anyone who may be wondering if I'm updating _too_ fast, (not naming names :D), I usually don't update this fast. I just happen to be in a very long-winded Zelda mood, and for some reason just playing the games isn't working. Writing is the only thing that seems to be satisfactory :D**

**Hope you enjoy**

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><p>We were careful, quiet. The sounds of beasts filled the meadow now, and they probably wouldn't be too happy with our presence once we were known. I was surprised to see that the majority of the meadow acted like a giant maze, large hedges keeping us from getting where we wanted unless we knew where to go. Link walked through the paths as if he had walked them many, many times, and tore through the small Deku Scrubs as if they were nothing. I couldn't help but notice, when he jumped in front of me to stop a creature from attacking, that he was still being oddly protective, despite the fact that I was no longer in any danger of getting lost. He kept looking over his shoulder, checking to make sure that I was still safe. He was also proficient with his sword, especially for someone who had never been professionally trained. It was something I had failed to notice until then.<p>

I could tell that we were getting close. Even with only one working ear, I could hear that the music was getting steadily louder. Link led me up a long flight of stairs, cutting down two more Scrubs with ease, and then we were there.

This section of the forest was were the temple was; I could see the entrance in front of us. The stairs leading to it were long gone. We were also surrounded completely by the steep sides of a mountain; this is obviously where the mountains and forest joined.

Link noticed none of this, however; he walked straight toward a young girl with green hair, who was sitting on a tree stump in the far corner of the meadow. I recognized her immediately as the girl who had given Link the ocarina he now used.

"Saria," he said as he approached her. The familiarity between the two of them was obvious. As I watched them look at each other, there was a split moment where I felt the heat of jealousy rise within me. But, then it was gone. He didn't look at her quite the same way he looked at me. I could tell that there maybe had been potential, at some point, for something more, but it was gone from him. I realized that I really _had_ no reason to be jealous. I also had no claim on him, no right to think of him in any other way than as a friend; a companion on this strange journey.

I told myself that, anyways...

"I've been waiting for you, Link! This is the Sacred Forest Meadow. It's my secret place! I feel... This place will be very important for both of us someday. That's what I feel. If you play the Ocarina here, you can talk with the spirits in the forest. Would you like to play the Ocarina with me?"

"Yes, of course."

"Okay, try to follow along with the melody I will play. Are you ready?"

Link pulled out his ocarina and nodded.

They played for an hour, first to learn the song, and then to practice. Link learned it quite quickly, and when Saria finally stopped him, she laughed with excitement.

"Great! Great! Please don't forget this song! Do you promise?"

"I'll never forget it," he said.

"When you want to hear my voice, play this song. You can talk with me anytime..."

Link must have taken that to mean the conversation was over, because he turned and walked back to me.

"You ready to head back?" He asked. I nodded. Almost as if the gesture was now routine, Link reached his hand out and I took it. He then started to guide me back toward the stairs, but he suddenly stopped and looked back toward Saria.

"Good-bye, Link."

"Good-bye..."

The walk through the meadow was much easier this time around. It was peaceful, now, the beasts having already been slain. The only sound was that of our footsteps and our breathing.

As we neared the Lost Woods, Link's grip tightened as it had before. He pulled me close and I no longer fought it; I instead walked with one hand around his, the other lightly touching his shoulder-blade. This seemed to help with his concentration, no longer feeling the need to look back every moment to make sure I was still there. The looks he stole toward me were full of a different type of apprehension.

Link's knowledge of the forest led us right back where we needed. Just as we passed through the portal, I heard the music fill the forest once again, but the song had now lost its effect.

We stayed quiet on the walk back. We soon entered Goron City and made our way down to Darunia's room.

At first, the Goron chief had given us a look of apprehension, but at the sight of Link's ocarina, he went quiet and folded his arms, waiting.

Link played.

It was like watching a switch suddenly turn off all the depression and sadness in the room. I even felt my mood life, which I hadn't noticed had been sad until that moment. Link's characteristic smirk finally stitched its way back across his face as he played. But the biggest change was in the big boss himself.

He suddenly danced as if dancing was the only thing left in the world to do. His arms flailed, his legs kicked, his head rocked back and forth. He smiled and laughed and screamed random chants.

"HOT! What a hot beat!" He yelled at one point.

Link's song finally ended, and Link lowered the instrument to find an oddly cheery Darunia staring back at him.

"Heeey! What a nice tune! Just like that, my depression is all gone! Something just came over me! I suddenly wanted to dance like crazy! I am Darunia! I'm the big boss of the Gorons! Was there something you wanted to ask me about?"

"We were wondering if you would give us the Spiritual Stone of Fire," Link asked, still under the effects of the song and highly confident. I had a feeling I was going to be suffering very highly under that improved mood...

"What? You want the Spiritual Stone of Fire, too? The Spiritual Stone of Fire, also known as the Goron's Ruby, is our race's hidden treasure..."

"So, can we have it?"

"But hold on - I'm not going to give it to you that easily. If you want it so badly... Why don't you go destroy the monsters inside of the Dodongo's Cavern and prove you're a real man?"

"What?" I heard myself yell. Darunia didn't seem to notice.

"That way, everybody will be happy again! If you do it, I will give you anything you want, even the Spiritual Stone!" It was quiet for a few long moments, and then Darunia turned and picked something up off of one of the tables. "I have something for you. I'm not really giving you this in return for anything, but take it anyway. If you wear this, even a little fella like you can pick a Bomb Flower!"

He held out his hand. Inside it, was a large golden bracer, embossed with the symbol of the Goron tribe.

"Thank you!" Link said as he took it. He then slipped it over his wrist.

"Now move along! Clear out those monsters, and then we'll talk about the Spiritual Stone!"

Once outside the room, Link's mood took the direction I had known it would.

"So, jealous of Saria, huh?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow at me. "Never heard of anyone getting jealous unless they actually _liked_ someone!"

"I - I was not jealous!" I lied.

"Oh yeah! Like I could believe a lie that pathetic! You were jealous, and you know it!"

I finally took a deep breath and shook my head, tired of having this conversation. "Even if I was, it means nothing. So, I'm going to pretend that we didn't have this conversation, and you're going to drop it."

"Really? Well, have it your way. Either way, _I_ remember the conversation, _I'm_ not going to pretend it didn't happen, and _I'm_ not actually holding anything I can drop, so that last request is kinda ridiculous..."

I groaned. "You're impossible!"

"The way you keep lying to yourself makes _you_ the impossible one, you know."

At this point, we were on the second-to-top tier.

I growled and stomped away from him, finding the stairs to the top level - and the exit - fairly quickly. I could hear Link chuckling behind me the entire time, but I didn't care. I continued my way out of the city, and to where I knew was a small lookout where you could see the rest of the mountains and the path below. I stood over it, took in the view. I couldn't see much, considering that it was now dark. Looked down to see the blocked entrance to the cavern directly below. I turned slightly when I heard Link stop behind me, and saw a Bomb Flower growing next to me.

I growled. "These Gorons can be really daft, can't they?"

A Goron, who was standing nearby, turned to me and yelled, "Hey!"

"What do you mean?" Link asked.

"That Bomb Flower. Drop it over this ledge."

"Okay..." I watched Link crouch down and pull the flower from its roots with ease. The friction lit the fuse. Link panicked slightly and tossed the bomb over the edge.

I quickly waved, creating an invisible bubble around mine and Link's ears, shielding us from the noise of the blast. Link came and stood next to me, and we both leaned over the edge slightly to watch.

The bomb exploded, and the large boulder blocking the cavern shattered, sending smaller rocks in every direction. Link grabbed me and pulled me back, just as a rock flew into the air in front of us, right where I had been leaning.

I waved, dropping the bubbles, and muttered, "Thanks."

The Goron next to us looked at me with his mouth wide open. "Ohhhh! I see! Now we can get into the cavern!"

I started down the path, Link not far behind. We said nothing, and the fifteen minute walk down the path was strangely awkward. Once we were in front of the cavern, we entered.

In front of us, we could feel the heat coming through the solid wall. There was no where to go; no monsters, either.

"Where do we go?" Link asked. I noted a couple of Bomb Flowers growing in the corners of the rectangular room.

"That wall is probably thin. We can blast it open tomorrow; for now let's rest."

Link and I sat down on a softer patch of dirt. I pulled out the bread and canteen from my pouch, unwrapping the bread and tossing half of the supply to Link. I took a long swig from the canteen before tossing it to him as well.

He took a swig and I saw the tell-tale smirk cross his face as he looked up at me. I held up my hand.

"Listen, don't say it, okay?" He didn't, but continued to smirk. "You're an odd nine year old boy, you know that?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, boys your age usually won't go near girls, screaming that they have cooties or something. You take a swig from that canteen after me and just smirk."

Link just stared at me, suddenly looking very confused. "What are 'cooties'?"

I stared back. "You don't know?"

Link shook his head. He then started to make the water in the canteen swirl around, watching it through the small opening. "Us Kokiri weren't raised to hate or despise each other. We've always respected everyone. The Great Deku Tree taught us that we are all unique and special. As a result, the girls and boys always got along very well." I watched sadness cross his eyes and I kept quiet, knowing that there was more. "At least...that's what I saw, anyways..."

"Saw?"

He nodded, not looking up at me. "The Kokiri always respected each other...but they didn't treat me like they treated each other. Every day, they would say that I was different. When we would gather together to help come up with ideas on how to change things in the forest for the better, they always passed me over, never giving my ideas a chance... Saria was always the only one who treated me like the others treated each other. She would say that, even if I was different, I shouldn't be treated as such... She _was_ my only friend for a long time...the only one who seemed to care...

"Mido was the worst," he continued, after taking a deep breath. "Always would pick on me for not having a fairy..."

"But, you have a fairy."

"I didn't until the day we met. Even then, Mido hated me... So did the others, even if they didn't express it as openly as him..."

He went quiet. All these years, I had figured that he had been happy and surrounded by friends. I had never guessed that he would be shunned because everyone could see that he didn't belong. I sighed, suddenly feeling bad for my behavior earlier. "They just didn't know what they were missing..."

He looked up at me, clearly trying to hold back tears as he thought about his isolation in the forest. "What do you mean?"

"They didn't see just how...sweet you really are. Anyone who would have paid attention to you would have seen it."

Link looked back at the canteen, his cheeks red again. "You think I'm sweet?"

"How can I not? You help people without even asking for anything in return, even people who were rude or mean to you... You have a natural ability to sense what others are feeling and help them... You see things in other people that they can't even see themselves..."

Link smirked. "Saria always used to tell me I was sweet, but for some reason I never really believed her. She would never tell me why she thought that, no matter how many times I asked. You say it, though, and I believe you..."

Despite the sad turn in our conversation in the last few minutes, I laughed. "You only say that because you like me."

Link finally looked away from the canteen. "Maybe."

I looked down at my half eaten bread. I suddenly wasn't very hungry. "You want the rest of this?"

He shook his head. "No. It's yours."

I smiled. "See, you _are_ sweet."

He frowned and picked at his bread for a few moments. "So, you really think I'm sweet?"

"Yes."

"So, does that mean that you've been lying and you really _do_ like me?"

I sighed. Of course he would say that. "No. You're my friend."

Link sighed. "Friend... But just only?"

This time, I frowned. "Well, maybe someday...when we're older...and no one is trying to destroy Hyrule..."

"So, there's potential?"

"I didn't say that..." I whispered.

"Yes, you did. You say 'maybe someday'. That means that there's potential."

I sighed. "Well, when you put it that way..."

"So, you like me, then?" He smirked, waggling his eyebrows again. I shook my head.

"No."

"But you like it when I flirt with you, right?"

I felt my heart skip at the word 'flirt.' "No. I just...think that you have every right to say what's on your mind, even if it annoys me slightly."

Link laughed. "Sure." He then leaned back, his arms folded behind his head, smirking at the ceiling, chewing on his last bite of bread.

The truth was, I actually kinda liked his open affections toward me. It made me feel...special. Not once had anyone said the things that he said to me. That didn't mean that I wanted him to say those things _more_ (I told myself that, anyways), but I kinda liked it.

And then I wondered. _Why_ did I like it? I was an old woman who was hundreds of years old, stuck in the body of a twelve year old. Why did I like what he said? He was only nine! I had never heard of anyone my age (well, no one was my age, but still) liking someone so young... What was wrong with me?

"What's wrong?" Link said, pulling me from the world that apparently only I could see.

"Nothing."

"Then what was with that frowny face and spacy look?" He mimicked me, crossing his eyes slightly to make fun of me. I smiled.

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

Link's stomach growled then. He tried to cover its sound with a cough, but I wasn't mistaken. I tossed my bread at him so he couldn't refuse.

"Eat it," I said. "I'm not hungry, and you need it more than me."

Link looked back and forth between me and the bread, and then made up his mind. He began to pick at it.

"You're really sweet, too, you know," he said through a mouthful of bread.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, despite the fact that you try to act like you don't care about anything, you have your moments..."

"You're my friend, Link. I care."

Link finished the bread and then laid back down.

"Thanks," he said after a moment.

"For what?"

"For being my friend. It makes me feel like I actually might belong somewhere..."

I watched him for a good long minute. When his eyes started to flutter closed, I finally laid back and closed my eyes as well.

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><p><strong>I actually wasn't planning on the two of them to have this long of a conversation, but you know how characters seem to write themselves :)<strong>


	12. Chapter 12

**Once they enter the cavern, there is no talking and instead lip-reading. You'll know when that starts, but after that just imagine that they can't hear anything. It'll make it easier for me instead of saying "I/he mouthed" twenty different times :)**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p>When I woke up, Link was still asleep, and our fingers were so close that I had a feeling that we had been holding hands the entire night. The thought made my heart jump. But, I didn't move. I stayed completely still, relishing the rare relaxation I felt, laying next to my friend. I then felt Link stir.<p>

For some reason, I closed my eyes, evening out my breathing to pretend that I was still asleep. I felt him sit up next to me, and with the closeness of our fingers, the movement caused him to brush my hand. I felt him stiffen.

I kept completely still, even when I felt him move closer. My eyes almost sprang open when I felt him gently pick up my hand, but I managed to keep them closed.

I lay completely still, trying to get my heart to still as I felt him caress my fingers, my palm. The movements were oddly sweet and relaxing. I started to feel myself drift off again, when he suddenly stopped. I was just about to open my eyes when I felt his shaking fingers touch my cheek.

My breathing stopped for a brief moment, but he didn't notice. He gently brushed my long hair from my face, and then his touch was gone. I had the strangest feeling that, when I opened my eyes, I would find him just staring at me, twirling his hands nervously in his lap. Then, his hands were around mine again, lightly massaging.

I finally opened my eyes. Even though he was holding my hand, his eyes were on me. The moment my eyes opened, he dropped my hand and smiled.

"Good morning!" He said, the characteristic smirk on his face. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, trying my best to act the part of someone barely awake. I yawned and, mid yawn, Link whispered, "You were awake that entire time, huh?"

"N - no!" I said.

"Yeah, you were."

"No I - ... How did you know?"

"I could tell. That, and you're face has been bright red for the last few minutes..."

"Oh... Stupid face," I muttered, rubbing at it as if I could rub off the redness. I heard Link chuckle.

"Your face isn't stupid."

"It is when it gives me away..."

"Why pretend...you were asleep?" He asked. I looked at him to see him staring at me, twirling his hands like I had pictured a few moments ago.

"It was...nice."

"Really? You aren't just saying that to make me feel better, right?"

"No, I'm not. I don't get a lot of time to relax. It felt nice to just relax for a moment..." I then looked up at him. "You ready to go inside?"

Link nodded and stood up, grabbing my hand and pulling me up. Once I was standing, Link didn't let go, and instead looked down at my hand as I felt his thumb lightly massage the back of my hand. He then sighed and let go, walking to the other side of the room to pick the Bomb Flower. I suddenly felt myself twirling my hands as Link often did when he was nervous.

Link set the now lit bomb next to the wall and walked toward me. I waved my hand, creating that bubble again, and we retreated to the farthest corner of the room, hands around each others' again. Link stared at me, and I was careful to avoid his gaze, watching the wall as it exploded. The force of the blast caused us both to duck. My magic managed to keep us safe from the pieces of flying rock.

After the blast, I dropped the bubble and remembered my ear and foot. I healed both, feeling Link's eyes on me the entire time. I felt my magic begin to waver, but since I was well-rested, the effects didn't quite feel as bad.

Link grabbed my hand and started to pull me toward the hole we had made, but I didn't move.

"Listen," I said, causing him to stop and look at me. I avoided his gaze and dropped his hand. "I don't want things to be...weird, okay?"

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "I'll admit it; you're...growing on my slightly, but I don't want it to mean that we start acting weird, okay?"

I saw Link nod out of the corner of my eye. "No weirder than normal, correct?"

I finally looked up at him to see him smirking. I smiled. "Yes."

"Okay. Deal." He held out his hand. I took it and we walked side-by-side to the entrance.

The first thing to greet us was a giant Dodongo skull, hanging from the opposite wall. A lava pit surrounded a giant, circular platform in front of us. In the middle of the platform was a Beamos, a creature that would shoot a laser out of its eye the moment it saw us. There were doors on both the right and left side of the room, some out of reach and others blocked by a carelessly placed wall.

And the heat... It was almost unbearable.

I instantly sighed, wiping my forehead, which was now covered in a layer of sweat. Link did the same and we looked at each other to see that the other was equally as miserable in the heat. Link then nodded and pulled me forward.

In front of us was a rising platform, making the middle platform with the Beamos now accessible. Link didn't hesitate and jumped, pulling me with him. We landed on the platform and waited as it rose.

I was suddenly very nervous. This platform rose and fell from the lava, so now we were unusually close to it. The thought unnerved me.

Once the platform stopped moving, Link pulled me forward and we jumped, landing on the larger platform. I instantly veered off to the left, where I had seen a breakable wall and a Bomb Flower not far from it. Link followed without protest, and we jumped onto another rising platform, jumping again the moment we landed so as to reach the other side.

Another Beamos greeted us, though this time we were too close. It saw us, and a beam of light shot from its single eye. Link and I rolled forward, barely avoiding the beam. Link quickly grabbed the bomb and he tossed it at the creature, backflipping out of the way of its beam. I instantly raised the bubble that protected our hearing. The bubble took effect just in time, for the bomb exploded on contact with the creature, and we watched as its head flew into the air, and then landed with a crash, exploding as well.

Link turned to me then. I pointed to my ears and mouthed, "Can you read lips?"

"Yes. Can you?" He mouthed back.

"Yes. Not going to take down the bubble. Magic won't take it."

Link nodded and then smirked. "I don't mind reading lips."

I groaned, pushing him back toward the bomb and gesturing toward the breakable wall. "Bomb. Wall. Now."

Link laughed, although I didn't hear it. It was quite strange, not being able to hear anything, even though I knew he was speaking and laughing.

Link did as I asked, and the wall was soon gone. Behind it was a small treasure chest. After digging through the pile of hay inside of it, Link pulled out the map to the area.

"Won't get lost now," he mouthed, holding it up so I could see. I nodded. I then pointed at the Beamos in the middle of the room and Link nodded. He grabbed the bomb and ran across the room, skipping over the rising platform, and tossed it at the Beamos. He then continued across the room, to the other side, as the creature exploded.

I ran and jumped, trying my best to get enough momentum to make the jumps. On the last jump, just feet from where Link stood, I instantly knew that my jump had been short. Link saw it at the same time, and caught my hand just as I disappeared. He pulled me up, the look on his face scared.

"You okay?" He asked. I nodded and gestured to the last Beamos in the room. He frowned but did as I asked, and destroyed the creature. He then ran back over to me, looking positively nervous.

"Don't. Do. That. Again," he said, grabbing my shoulders and shaking them slightly.

"Won't."

Link nodded and then destroyed the two breakable walls on this side of the room. One of them revealed a door, and we walked through, Link's hand tight around mine.

The next room zig-zagged in front of us, and appeared empty. We walked forward, and the moment our feet touched the dirt in the room, tiny lizards burst from the ground.

They had no feet, so they wiggled across the ground like snakes. I imagined that if we could hear, it would sound like stone across gravel.

The closest creature lunged, and Link slashed it in mid-air. The creature fell to the ground. I noticed that the slain creature was flashing, almost like a bomb...

I grabbed Link's arm and yanked him backward. We hit the floor and we felt the creature explode behind us, sending blood and guts everywhere. We quickly turned, expecting one of the other creatures to pounce on us, but now, they were all laying around where the other had been, all flashing...

Link quickly grabbed his new metal shield and laid it over the both of us. The ground then shook, and then it was still.

Link and I stood. In the middle of brushing off my dress, I suddenly felt Link brush my nose and cheek. I looked up and he shrugged.

"Dirt."

I rubbed off the rest of the dirt from my face and then motioned for him to lead. Link did, keeping his sword out and pulling me forward with his other hand. More creatures burst from the ground another few feet farther, and Link used their unusual deaths to kill all in only one swing. The first slain creature killed the rest with its blast, and then the rest all exploded afterwards. When they did, Link stood between me and them and used his shield to protect us.

We continued, finding a door blocked off with giant bars. A blue switch lay on the ground, between two statues. Link stepped on it, and the door opened. But the moment he moved, the door closed.

We worked together to move one of the heavy statues onto the switch. The door then opened and stayed open. We walked through.

Two sleeping Keese hung on the walls in the corridor we emerged in. I pulled out my bow and quickly shot them down. Link then led the way through the next door.

The door locked behind us the moment it closed, and a large lizard dropped down in front of us. It was holding a large dagger and started pacing in front of us, clearly ready for battle.

Link unsheathed his sword and jumped between me and the creature. He lunged forward, but the creature easily dodged. Since Link's new shield was too big for him to use properly, he was careful to dodge the Lizalfos jabs since he had no protection.

The exchange lasted a few minutes, and it was pretty even. I had backed into the door, hoping not to draw attention to myself. The lizard then glanced at me, noticing how Link was careful to stay between us. I saw it coming, the knowledge that I was Link's weakness flashing through its oddly intelligent eyes. It then jumped into the air, flipping and landing in front of me. I quickly ducked, barely missing the dagger as it flashed toward me. I then saw the creature tilt its head back and scream as Link stabbed it in its now exposed back. The Lizalfos then jumped away, bouncing from platform to platform in the lava filled room.

Link flashed me a look that I didn't quite understand, and then he backed up toward me, making sure I was more protected from a second Lizalfos now hopping toward us.

When the battle was engaged, Link was fierce, stabbing and jabbing, dodging and jumping. Every time the creature tried to get around him to me, he responded with a well-placed attack that sent the creature screaming. Faster than the last, the lizard jumped away and watched as the first one came back for a second round.

I quickly nocked an arrow and let it fly, hitting the creature now coming at us with enough force that it fell backward, into the lava below. I then turned and aimed at the last one, and it fell the same.

When they were both dead, Link turned to me, looking oddly relieved.

"Thanks," he said.

"You got my back. I have yours."

Link nodded and then sheathed his sword, grabbing my hand and helping me hop across the room to a different door.

The next room seemed quiet and dark. It was also cooler than the last few rooms we had been in, so I took the opportunity to take a swig from what was left of the water. I tossed it to Link and he drained it. We then joined hands and moved forward.

In the next room, a larger version of the tiny, legless creature created us. This one had a giant metal plate on his head for protection, and it had two legs. I pointed at the creature's tail and Link nodded, jumping forward when the creature turned its back on us.

The creature screamed and spun around. It over judged the movement, however, and shot a jet of flame from its mouth in the wrong direction. Link swung again, and again the creature spun and shot a flame. This time, the flame singed my dress and I jumped back. This seemed to infuriate Link, and he jumped into the air, bringing his sword down with such force that the tail flew across the room, wiggling of its own accord.

Then it started flashing.

Link pulled me behind a pillar in the middle of the room, and we felt it shake as the creature's demise sent blood everywhere. Link then put his hands on my shoulders, said "stay!" and disappeared.

Over the course of the next few minutes, I felt the ground shake from two more explosions. And then he was running back to me, covered in his victims' blood. I used my now dirty cloth to wipe away the blood, which helped little. Link then went around the room and lit all the dark torches, opening the door at the far end.

The door led us to a ledge in the main room that we hadn't been able to reach. In front of us was a switch, which after Link stepped on it, caused a door on the other side of the room to unlock. We saw the bars from where we were lift.

Link guided me back across the room, no longer having to worry about the slain Beamos. We then went through the now open door.

In the next room, a curious line of Bomb Flowers lined a strange contraption. Looking up, I realized that the contraption was just a large set of stairs, too far for anyone to reach. In front of the stairs was a gap in the Bomb Flowers, and across from it was another breakable wall. Link bombed the wall first, and we entered the door on the other side.

The room was empty except for three statues, much like the one we had used to flip the switch earlier. Behind them was a treasure chest.

Link approached the front statue and tried to move it aside. As he did, it sprang to life.

It hopped after Link, shaking the floor with every jump. Link retreated to the corner of the room where I stood, next to a Bomb Flower. Instinctively, he plucked it, throwing it at the creature.

The bomb exploded, sending the Armos wheeling around the room. As if it could sense our presence, it directed itself at us, flashing and jumping. Link threw me out of the way and jumped as well, landing next to me as it exploded. I felt pieces of it slash me on the face and back as it shattered, and my scream of pain was unheard.

Link looked at me after it was over and his face fell. "Your face!" He said, touching my cheek. I squealed from the pain and pushed him away. As I did, I felt my back scream in pain as it twisted under the gashes and the dirt scraped it.

Link looked at me with horror. I stood, steadying my shaking from the pain, and pointed at the chest.

"I'm fine," I said. "Open it."

Link did and came back with the compass, face etched with worry.

"I'm fine, really."

"Heal?" He asked.

I shook my head. "Too much, not enough."

Link looked even more worried, but said nothing. He grabbed my hand and gently pulled me toward the door. On the other side, Link used the lone Bomb Flower to set off the strange line of bombs, the explosion of which caused the stairs to slide downward, so that we could now climb up. Link helped me up the overlarge steps, and each movement caused me to scream; the twisting of my back under the bleeding wounds was almost unbearable. Halfway up, Link saw the tears running down my cheeks and then changed tactics; instead of pulling me up, he stood behind me and lifted me, careful not to touch my wounds. It took longer, but was less painful.

At the top, Link pointed at his ears. I lowered the bubble and was bombarded by noise.

"Those look terrible," he whispered, twirling his hands. "Your dress is all torn and it looks like something attacked you... Slashes everywhere... You sure you can't heal them?"

"I'm sure," I said, surprised at how weak I sounded. "I don't have enough power left now while using it to keep our hearing safe. Once I get a chance I'll heal them, okay?"

Link looked at me nervously, but nodded. I then waved my hand, bringing back the bubble. Link caught me before I even realized that I had fallen. He pulled my head up gently by my chin, avoiding the large gash in my cheek.

"You're weak," he mouthed. I just nodded and righted myself, cringing.

The bridge we were on followed the perimeter of the room, scaling upward slowly. At the top was a door. We walked through.

The next room was completely circular. A platform rose from the middle, a switch clearly visible on the top. Surrounding the platforms was more of those statues, and Link looked at me, worried. Anyone of them could spring to life when touched...

There were some Keese hanging from the walls in the room. I tried to use my bow to take them down, but the movement caused me to scream and fall to the ground. The sound, unheard by either of us, woke the Keese and caused them to fly toward us.

Link took them down quickly with his slingshot. He then pulled me upright and led me around the room, looking for signs of a statue that wouldn't attack. We found one in front of a ladder. Link approached it slowly, and smiled when it stayed stationary at his touch. He moved it, stepped on the switch, and then came back down, leading me through the now open door.

We found ourselves on a bridge overlooking the main room. Link shot down two Fire Keese flying near the bridge and then we walked across it. Halfway across, there was a large gap. Link looked back at me nervously. He then leaped across and then turned to me, opening his arms. I took a deep breath and jumped.

The movement caused me to scream, a sound I swear I could almost hear. But Link was ready, catching me gently and then running across the bridge into the next room, where he set me down.

He just sat over me and watched me cry. Each and every sob caused me more pain, causing me to sob more. I eventually felt Link sit me up, holding me, trying to keep me still, keeping the sobs from jostling my wounds. As a result, the pain lessened, slowly.

By the time I had calmed, I was exhausted and shaking uncontrollably. At some point I realized that I was gripping Link with so much force that I was sure my nails had cut him. I tried to loosen my grip, but then I would shake and it would cause more pain.

"Here," I heard him say. I then realized that my weakness had caused the protective bubble to drop. "We need to get going."

He carefully moved me so that I was clinging to his back. He grabbed my legs and stood up, being careful not to hurt me. I clung to him, watched where he was going. I eventually saw that the only way to go was down, by ladder. Link turned, grabbed my arm to tell me to hold tight, and made his way down.

I saw at the bottom, a blade trap moving back and forth, directly below us. Link saw it too and looked up at me. I nodded and gripped tighter.

Link jumped, avoiding the trap and landing in between two large platforms. The landing caused me to start to shake, but I kept control.

Link ran between the many platforms, jumping over the blades with ease, considering I was clinging to his back. He eventually found a block, stuck in the wall below a ladder. He pulled it out enough to climb and started up the ladder. The corridor on the other side was blocked by a breakable wall, and across from us was a platform where a Bomb Flower grew. Link jumped, landing as softly as he could, and threw the bomb at the wall.

Since I was too weak to help us, Link grasped at his ears and I ducked, tucking my head between my arms and his head. We felt and heard the explosion, but our ears were fine.

In the next room was an eye switch on the wall. Blocking our way to the next room was a giant wall of fire, engulfing the platform we needed to cross. Link shot the eye with his slingshot and jumped across when the fire extinguished. In the following hallway, more of those crawling lizards emerged from the dirt, and Link jumped over them, running passed and through the door on the other side of the hall.

Two more Lizalfos appeared in the lava filled room we emerged in. Link gently set me down and went to work, leading them away from me and sparring with them from a safe distance. I could barely watch and I felt myself fading in and out as I sat in the corner. I could feel my magic trying to heal my wounds, and it was draining me with every passing second. When Link came back, he hoisted me back onto his back and continued on.

Another set of eye switches greeted us and he took care of them easily. He then exclaimed when he found a bomb bag in a treasure chest, now giving us the power of a bomb without relying on a Bomb Flower.

Next thing I knew, we were back in the main room, on another bridge. Link set me down, stepped on a switch, and dropped a bomb into the eyes of the Dodongo skull directly below. He then came back and hoisted me on his back again, and hopped onto a platform that now reached the second floor.

The platform brought us down, and he walked through the now open Dodongo mouth, through a door hidden there. In the next room, Link cleared it of enemies and set me down.

"I'll be right back, okay? Stay here."

I nodded and he was gone.

As I sat, I felt my magic scab over my wounds, enabling me to stand and move with slightly more ease. There was still pain, but not as bad.

I waited for half an hour, and then Link finally appeared on a ledge out of reach. He pushed down a block and used it to hold down a switch in a hole in front of me. He then ran to me and twirled his hands.

"You okay?"

"Better. Let's go."

We walked together, slowly, through the now open door. On the other side was...only a treasure chest.

Link opened it while I stood behind him and waited.

"Just some more bombs," he said, turning to face me. But, as he turned, I felt the ground beneath my feet buckle.

For just a split second, a look of fear passed between us. And then I fell, watching Link's horrified face grow farther away.


	13. Chapter 13

**Yes, another chapter already :) I think I'm just excited that we're getting closer to the adult part of the story line... And that's where the story really starts ;)**

**Hope you enjoy**

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><p>The pain when I fell was excruciating. For a second, I thought that I was going to black out, but Link's hands under my body brought me to consciousness. He wasn't trying to be careful anymore, and when I turned my head to see what he was running from and why he was hurting me, I suddenly knew why.<p>

The largest Dodongo I had ever seen was marching after us. He was the size of a large house, and his mouth was large enough that he could have swallowed both of us with ease. His canine teeth were longer than an adult was tall. And, as Link rounded the path that circled the large lava pit in the center of the room, the Dodongo let out a huge fireball, which was so powerful that it blew a hole in the solid rock wall it hit.

Link ran to the far corner of the room, where a Bomb Flower grew. He quickly set me down and looked at me, his eyes full of fear. He then stood to face the creature, when I grabbed him.

"They...eat...everything..." I managed to say. It took Link a moment to understand, but he nodded and took off, pulling out a bomb and lighting its fuse as he approached the creature. The Dodongo opened his mouth, sucking in a mouthful of air as he did, so strong that my hair flew in all directions. Link then threw the bomb.

The air seemed to pull the bomb into the Dodongo's mouth, and when it hit his tongue, his mouth slammed shut. He then looked down at Link and swallowed.

It took a moment, but then the bomb exploded from inside the Dodongo's stomach. The creature screamed when the bomb exploded, and then he fell to the floor, stunned.

Link lunged at him with his sword. He slashed and slashed, trying to break through his tough skin. The creature finally woke and instantly curled into a large ball and started rolling toward us.

I pushed myself against the wall and Link lunged toward the lava, barely stopping short of the scalding liquid. As the creature passed, it barely missed rolling into both of us, and rounded the corner. Link quickly stood after it passed and ran to me. I waved at him, telling him that I was fine, and he ran after the creature, who had collided with the wall and uncurled.

Link repeated the process, throwing a bomb as the Dodongo opened his mouth. He swallowed it and fell. Link slashed, then dove for the ground near the lava as it started to roll.

This time, as the creature passed, one of his spikes nicked my arm, slashing it. My scream echoed around the room, and Link's eyes flashed.

The next attack on the creature by him was fierce. Link stabbed the creature's eyes, ripped open his nose, cut off a piece of his tongue. The creature finally screamed, his legs wobbly, and he rolled into the lava in the center of the room.

As the creature squirmed, the lava began to cool. It cooled too fast for him to escape, and soon he was still.

After a few moments, Link was at my side, his face covered in blood that I wasn't too sure was just the creature's.

"How are you doing?" He asked me. I managed to stand and nod.

"I'll be fine."

Link grabbed my hand and we walked to the center of the lava pit, where a blue ring of light had appeared. As we stepped into it, the ring took my pain and I sighed in relief. The last thing I saw before the light overpowered us was Link's face, happy to see my relief.

We were set in front of the cavern entrance. And someone was waiting to great us.

"It's me, Darunia!" The large Goron said as we landed. He pounded his chest and then patted Link on the head so hard that he fell over. "Well done! Thanks to you, we can once again eat the delicious rocks from the Dodongo's Cavern until our stomachs burst!" Darunia then frowned, watching Link stand and rub his head. "What a wild adventure!"

Darunia listened as Link told the story of what happened inside the cavern. I added or corrected events as was seen fit, and Link looked over at me after the story was done, a questioning look on his face. I knew what he was silently asking; was I okay? I shrugged, but the movement made me cringe, and he frowned.

"It will make an incredible story..." Darunia said after we finished. "I can't believe that the Dodongos suddenly appeared in such great numbers! And that big rock blocking the cave... All this trouble must have been caused by that Gerudo thief, Ganondorf!"

"Ganondorf!" I exclaimed. "He was here?"

Darunia nodded. "He said, 'Give me the Spiritual Stone! Only then will I open the cave for you!' You, on the other hand, risked your life for us..." Darunia turned to Link. "Kid, I like you! How's about you and I become Sworn Brothers?"

"Is there a ceremony involved, or anything?" Link asked, twirling his hands.

"No, there's no big ceremony involved! Just take this as a token of our friendship!"

Darunia held out a large, red stone. Its shape, with the gold that surrounded it, reminded me of their tribes' crest, with its sharp points and rigid form; the Spiritual Stone of Fire.

"Brother!" Darunia exclaimed after Link took the stone and pocketed it. "You'll keep brushing up on your skills as you travel, won't you? You should go see the Great Fairy on top of Death Mountain! She will power you up! Hey, everybody! Let's see off our Brother!"

A group of Gorons appeared from the sky at that moment, dropping so the ground shook.

"You did great!" One of them said, holding out his arms. "How 'bout a big Goron hug, Brother?"

Link and I immediately ran, veering to take the trail down to the village. But another group appeared, blocking our path, and we were forced to go up. Halfway up the path, we heard laughter behind us, and we stopped to see that they had stopped their pursuit and were now laughing. We kept walking, however, not wanting to see if they were still looking for that hug, which I pictured being very...painful.

"How are you feeling?" Link asked, his voice thick with worry.

"I've...been better."

"Can you heal yourself, yet?"

I stopped, bending over to catch my breath and stop the shaking plaguing my body because of the pain.

"I might be able to heal the cuts enough to stop the pain, but it will be awhile until I have the strength to heal them fully."

"Okay..."

I stood up. "I might need help, though."

"Why?"

"I can't heal anything without touching it, and I can't reach my back..."

"How can I help?"

"Come here."

Link walked over and I held one of his hands with both of mine. "Now, when you feel it spread through you, make sure to touch the cuts, okay? Touch as much of them as you can, and make sure you don't miss one. Tell me when it's done."

"What do you mean, when I feel - " He suddenly gasped as my magic spread through him. I then felt his hand on my back, gently running down the length of the wounds.

His touch was only slightly painful, but my magic masked it slightly. It lasted a good few minutes. Apparently, my cuts were deep and plenty. Link finally stopped me.

"They...didn't heal all the way..."

I sighed, relieved at the lack of pain. "I know. I might have to let them heal the normal way."

"What about your cheek? Your arm?"

"They're not as bad, so they can stay."

Link nodded. "Alright. Let's go see this fairy of theirs."

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><p>The trip up the mountain had been fairly uneventful, the only exciting thing being when the volcano erupted and spewed rock everywhere. Link's shield had kept us both safe, however.<p>

Once we were at the top, we saw a cave. We walked inside, and the fairy gave Link magic power, which he could use to make his sword swings more powerful. She offered to heal my wounds, but I said no. Then the large owl, whom we had met earlier, gave us a ride back down the mountain, Link holding one of his talons and I the other. By the time he had dropped us into the village, it was dark.

Link and I instantly went and saw Daisy, who helped me bandage my wounds, wrapping my torso and back in cloth, and gave me a new dress, which was grey in color. She fed us and offered a bed, and we took it gratefully. We were so exhausted that we didn't talk, and we shared the same bed we had used before.

"Are you sure you kids don't need anything else?" She asked in the morning, after feeding us and changing my bandages.

"We're sure," I said, taking the food and water she gave us and packing it in my cleaned-out pouch. "Thank you."

"Oh, it's no problem," she said, fixing the collar on Link's tunic, which was still covered in blood. She didn't have enough water to let us bathe and wash our clothes.

"We'll come back and visit soon; promise!" Link said. He seemed happy to have someone taking care of him, and almost seemed sad that we had to leave.

"I hope you do!"

Once outside, Link took to following me.

"So, were are we headed?"

"Lon Lon Ranch, first. Then, Zora's Domain."

"What's that?"

"It's where the people known as the Zora live. They hold the last Stone."

We walked in silence, finally emerging in Hyrule Field. I immediately turned and crossed the bridge in front of us.

"How do you know so much about the world?" Link asked after five minutes of walking.

"I travel a lot."

"But, don't you have parents?"

"They died a long time ago."

"Oh..." he whispered. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. It's been a long time. I've been on my own ever since."

Link suddenly grabbed my hand, massaging it with his thumb like he had what seemed an eternity ago...

"I'm really sorry," he whispered.

I looked at him and smiled. "No, really! I'm fine! It was so long ago that I almost don't even remember them."

"Still, I imagine losing a parent is terrible."

I nodded. "It is. But time heals all wounds."

We were now out in the open field. I could see the cliffs that the ranch was built on off in the distance, but it was a good three hours away.

"I'm still sorry."

I squeezed his hand, suddenly remembering his mother. "I am too."

"You see?"

"What?"

"You try to pretend you don't care, but I see it in your eyes. Thinking about them makes you sad."

"But, I'm not even thinking about them!"

"What are you thinking about, then?"

A face flashed through my mind; blonde hair and bright blue eyes...

"Just someone I met a couple of years ago..."

"What happened?"

"She died."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

He had no idea. "I am, too."

It seemed forever, walking out in the open. The sun was very high in the sky by the time we were in reach of the ranch.

"Why are we coming here, again?" Link asked.

"I want to see how Malon and Talon are doing. That, and I figured you should see what a horse is."

"Oh. Okay."

We walked up the steep path that led up to the ranch. We then turned a corner, after another ten minutes, and we were there.

The house was large and stood off to our left. The barn was to the right. Ahead of us, in the distance, was the coral where the horses ran freely during the day. I made for the coral, first.

The closer we got, the more we were able to hear that someone was singing. Soon, horses were running by us, stopping to smell us. Link seemed oddly afraid of them, but he reached up his hand and pat them on the nose all the same. With every horse he pet, he seemed to calm down. By the time we had entered the coral, where we could see and hear Malon, Link was smiling at the horses.

"They're...kinda cool!" He said as he pet the last one.

We walked up to Malon, and she stopped singing. "Hello Maple! Fairy boy..." Her eyes seemed to shine, and I glared at her. Link looked at the beautiful foal that was standing next to her.

"Hello, Malon!" Link said.

"How are things going?" I asked.

She looked at me and smiled. "Oh, you came just to see me?" She looked back at Link, who was oblivious to the way she looked at him. "Thanks for finding my dad! He he he! You should have seen how fast he came running from the castle!"

"That's a beautiful horse there!" Link said, not truly paying attention.

"Oh, have you met my friend? Her name is Epona! Say hi, Epona!"

When Link reached out to pet her, however, she neighed and ran away.

"Oh, she's scared of you, fairy boy!" She then started to sing, and I noticed that the horse stopped running and slowly started walking back.

"What song is that?" Link asked, clearly having noticed its effect on the horse as well.

"My mother composed this song. Isn't it nice? Let's sing together!"

Link pulled out his ocarina.

"Oh, cute ocarina!" She exclaimed when she saw it. "Are you going to play this song with that ocarina?"

They then played.

After they were done, Epona ran over to Link and he finally reached out and pet her. She neighed happily.

"Oh, Epona!" Malon exclaimed. "She's grown fond of you, fairy boy..."

Something in her voice finally caught Link's attention. I don't know if maybe something in her voice reminded him of how he spoke to me, or it was just so obvious that he couldn't ignore. But he finally looked up at her.

"Um, yes, she has."

Malon just stared at him.

Link walked over to me and grabbed my hand, which was something Malon didn't miss. Her eyes narrowed.

"We'll come back some another time to see you. Good-bye, Malon," Link said.

Malon waved, although she didn't look at me. I had a feeling that I had just lost a friend.

I led Link to the house, where Talon was sleeping inside. He was easy to wake, however. He was also so grateful for us waking him and sending him home that he gave Link a bottle. Both of us were excited for this; now we had another container for water and such! After saying good-bye, we left, making our way to Zora's Domain.

It took us another three hours to reach the river. Once we reached it, we stopped and ate some bread and drank water. After that, we set off again, following the left side of the river after it forked.

"Malon likes me, huh?" He asked.

I felt my gut twinge with jealousy. "Yes."

"You don't like that?"

"No, not particularly."

"Why not?"

I shrugged, feeling my scabs pull on my bandages painfully as I did. "Like I said before, you've...grown on me."

"So, you like me?" I didn't need to look at him to know that he was now wiggling his eyebrows and smirking.

I watched my feet as they moved easily over the grass. It was strange to see myself wearing such large hiking boots...

"Maybe..." I heard myself say.

Link didn't say anything. I watched out of the corner of my eye, seeing his smirk, and waited...

He said nothing.

"What, no gloating?"

Link shook his head. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"I promised not to let things get weird. I want to gloat...yes...but you don't want me to."

I smiled at him. "Thanks."

"No prob!" He then grabbed my hand, stroking the back of it again...

We walked for a good two hours, following the river as it zigged and zagged through the mountainside. The sun was very low in the sky by the time we were nearing the waterfall. I could hear it in the distance, hitting the water below with a loud crash. As we got closer, the path rose, and when we emerged into the waterfall clearing, the path had risen to the point that it was level with the mid-point of the falls. In the middle of the path, which stretched out in front of the fall like a bridge, was a plaque that read:

"The flow of this waterfall serves the King of Hyrule. When the King slumbers, so too do these falls."

Link understood this immediately. He pulled out his ocarina and played Zelda's Lullaby.

Instantly, the waterfall slowed, to the point that we could see a giant cavern hidden on the other side. Link put away the ocarina, grabbed my hand, and we jumped.

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><p><strong>Sorry the fight at the beginning was so short, but that battle has always been one of the fastest and easiest in the game for me, so...yeah. Next, Zora's Domain...and a bath :)<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**(Sing-song voice) Another chapter... hehe. Just can't seem to stop writing... Is that a bad thing?**

**Oh, and the Zoras here are described more like they appear in TP, so use that as a reference if you need to see for yourself.**

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><p>It was like walking into a giant, underwater cave. Paths led up and down, but below was the cleanest, purest water I had ever seen. The path we were on stayed next to the farthest right wall, and to our left was the water, and a small waterfall that was much gentler than the one outside. The cave that the fall flowed from came directly from the King's room, up above. But the thing that really caught both of our eyes, was the people.<p>

The Zoras looked like a mixture between a man and a fish. They were distinctly humanoid, but with blue skin, fins for feet, webbed fingers, and each had a large flipper protruding from the back of their head like a horn. Large fins also protruded from their elbows. Where you would normally see someone's ribs, they had gills, along with gills on their necks. Their eyes were long, their noses very angular, and foreheads that were large.

They were oddly beautiful in their own way.

Link took in the people with a look of awe on his face. If he had thought the Gorons were a strange people, I couldn't imagine what these people looked like to him.

"Come on," I said, pulling at Link's hands, "we should go tell the King that we're here."

"K - king? They have a king?"

I nodded. "Yes. He's a gentle man, really, so let's go."

I led Link down the path, which split a couple of minutes passed the entrance. The path to the left went up to the top level, where the King sat, and the right path led down, to the water. I let Link look around for a moment, since he seemed a little overwhelmed. After a couple of minutes, I gently pulled at his hand, leading him as the path made a sharp curve to the left. We then climbed some stairs, and then we were in the King's throne room.

The King was a rather large Zora, who looked more like a pufferfish than any of the other Zoras below. He also wore a bright, red cape and a small crown.

I walked forward, onto a small platform that faced his throne. I then bowed to him.

He didn't seem to notice me, however...

"Oh, my dear, sweet Princess Ruto... Where has she gone? I'm so worried..."

No matter how much I tried, he never looked down at me. He kept looking passed me, as if trying to see if his daughter was going to climb the stairs at any moment. I finally walked down to Link and grabbed his hand.

"It's no use. He's too worried about his daughter. Let's go downstairs."

I led Link back down, and this time I took the path that led down to the water. It curved to the left and split again. One path led to the local store, the other broke off to the left and down, leading to a small peninsula.

"Why don't you go into the store, see if there's anything we need?" I asked Link. He nodded and disappeared through the door.

I turned and kept walking, passed the store, to where the water lapped up to the ground. This was where it was shallowest, barely tickling my shins. I turned to a Zora who was standing near the water.

"Can we wash off here?"

"You may, young human," he said, with a voice that sounded oddly wispy, as if it was coming from underwater.

"Thank you."

By the time Link came back out, I had taken off my boots and dress. My bandages were wrapped high enough that there was no need to cover myself. I had taken off my leggings as well, and replaced them with a pair of shorts, so I could wash my legs.

"Come here," I said when I saw Link come out of the store. His eyes widened but said nothing. "Wash your tunic. It's still covered in blood."

I went back to washing my dress, the one I had been wearing in the cavern. It was white, knee length, and embossed with a Triforce on the chest. It had always been my favorite, and I wasn't going to throw it out just yet. I was going to eventually fix it and wear it again. The water around me, however, was bright pink from the blood that had been washed out. My leggings were folded on the ground behind to me, clean and ready to wear.

Link sat down to my left and took off his hat and tunic, leaving only a pair of trousers on. He then mimicked my motions, rubbing his hands across the surface of the cloth to rub out the dirt.

"Did you find anything we need?" I asked.

"No. Nothing in particular. They had some fresh fish for sale, but it was too expensive..."

"What took you so long, then?"

Link shrugged. "I was talking to the shopkeeper about a tunic I saw for sale in there."

"Oh."

After a few minutes, the water was a dark pink. I then noticed that Link had stopped and was looking at my leg with great interest.

"Why are you staring at my leg?" I eventually asked, without looking away from my wash.

"Huh? Oh, I'm not looking at your leg. I'm looking at your ankle. What is that?"

I stopped and lifted my leg, looking at my left ankle as I did. On it, was a heart-shaped birthmark.

"My birthmark."

"Birthmark? I've never seen one shaped like that..."

"It's a heart. Can't you tell?"

"But it looks...so real..."

I knew what he was trying to say. It had always been a strange birthmark, colored in such a way that it appeared rounded and detailed, almost like a tattoo.

"Yeah, I know. It's been there for as long as I can remember. And it's always looked like that."

"It almost looks like a - "

"Tattoo. I know. I get that a lot."

"I've never noticed it before."

I lowered my leg back in the water and then folded my now mostly clean dress. I sighed as I looked at it.

"Think I can fix it?"

"What? Oh, your dress... I don't know... It's pretty torn up..."

"Yeah, I know... I'm going to try, though." I then gently folded it and placed it next to my leggings to dry. I then stood up. "I'm going to go farther out; wash my hair."

"Okay..."

I dove into the deeper water, my hands slicing through it with ease. I felt the weight of my hair pull me back, but I was used to it. I swam under the water, running my hands through my hair and across my face. By the time I emerged, Link had joined me, but was staring at something under the water.

"You see that?" He asked, pointing to a darker spot in the water. I looked, noticing that it almost looked like a doorway.

"Not until now."

"Should we check it out?"

I nodded. "Probably."

We swam back to our clothes and dressed. I left behind my leggings, shoes, and pouch, but put on the plain grey dress Daisy had given me. Link donned his tunic, left his hat, and we set off.

The moment my body crossed through the doorway, I felt a strong force suck me forward. Suddenly the water was rushing through my ears, roaring. I screamed, but quickly closed my mouth. The next thing I knew, there was a bright light ahead.

I swam up, kicking as hard as I could. My lungs screamed, my body wanted to just stop...

Then my head broke the surface. Link's head popped up next to mine, and he looked just as relieved as I.

"What _was_ that?" He asked.

"Another portal, it looks like."

"So...where are we?"

I quickly looked around, and then gasped.

"We're in Lake Hylia!"

"Lake Hylia?"

I nodded. "It's a two-days travel from the castle, far to the south! The _speed_ we must have come through that water to get here..."

But Link was gone, swimming toward the center of the lake.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He didn't answer, and instead dove under the water, disappearing for a second. When he emerged, he was holding a bottle. "What's that?"

"I don't know. Looks like something's inside of it, though..."

He swam closer and showed me. There _was_ something in the bottle; a note.

"Follow me."

Link swam after me as I swam toward the shore not far away. A Zora, practically invisible in the water, suddenly surfaced and waved at us.

"Have you seen a pretty Zora girl somewhere around here?" He asked. We both shook our heads and kept swimming.

When we reached the shore, I took a moment to wring out my hair and dress.

"Doesn't it get heavy?" He suddenly asked. I looked up to see him eyeing my hair, which skimmed the back of my calves.

"Yes."

"Why not cut it?"

I shrugged. "I can't. It just grows back."

"All hair grows back..."

"I mean, if I cut it, the next morning it's long again. I've given up and just leave it..."

Link then pulled the cork out of the bottle and dumped it upside down. He handed me the note.

"You read it," he said.

"You can read it; I don't mind."

"No...you can..."

I took the note and read:

"'Help me. I'm waiting for you inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly. - Ruto.'"

"Who's Lord Jabu-Jabu? And Ruto?" Link asked after I read it.

"Lord Jabu-Jabu is the Zoras' deity. Ruto is the princess whose gone missing."

"Oh! Well, we should tell the King!" Link said heading back to the water. I followed.

The portal sucked us back into the middle of Zora's Domain. After we were there, we surfaced and and went back to our things. I slipped on my leggings and my boots. I tied my pouch back around my waist. I slung my bow and my quiver around my shoulders. We then ran up to the King's throne.

He was as hard to talk to as before.

"WE KNOW WHERE RUTO IS!" I eventually yelled. The King then looked down at us.

"We have a letter from her," Link said, holding it out.

"Ho, a letter? It's from Princess Ruto?"

"Yes!" Link exclaimed.

"Well, read it my boy!"

Link suddenly froze. He then looked down at the letter. He stared at it for a long moment, and then he turned to me and thrust it into my hands.

"You read it," he whispered.

"No, you can read it."

"I can't."

"Don't be shy, Link!"

"Y - you don't understand..."

I then realized that he was serious. _Now_ I knew why Link hadn't defended himself in front of that guard, why he had made me read the note after we had found it: _he couldn't read!_

I quickly took it and read it to the King.

"She's inside Lord Jabu-Jabu?" He exclaimed. "That's not possible! Our guardian god, Lord Jabu-Jabu, would never eat my dear Princess Ruto!"

"If he would never eat her, why do you think she sent this note? What do you think has gone wrong?" I asked.

"Since that stranger, Ganondorf, came here, Lord Jabu-Jabu has been a little green around the gills..." He paused and thought for a long moment. He then nodded. "The evidence seems clear."

"You want us to go find her?" Link asked.

"Of course, you'll go find Ruto. You can pass through here to the altar of Lord Jabu-Jabu. I'll keep the letter. You keep the bottle it was in. Take it respectfully!"

"Thank you, your highness!"

"Please find my dear Princess Ruto immediately... Zora!"

The King then proceeded to slowly move to the side, revealing a secret passage to a chamber behind him.

Link grabbed my hand and we followed the path up and around to where the King was sitting. We then waved to the King, who now was much taller now that we were up close, and walked through the passage that was now open.

The corridor led to an open lake above the domain. The way the water was flowing, I knew that this was were the water from the falls outside were coming from. Off to the right, floating in the very deep water, was a large fish.

Every one of his fins was very small compared to his large body. His eyes stuck out of his head, his mouth as long as three men. He wore what looked like a crown that was much too small for his head. With every breath of his, the area was filled with a sound like rushing wind.

"Aren't you going to laugh?" Link asked, looking at me and twirling his hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Because I can't read."

"Oh. No! Why would I?"

"B - because!"

I sighed and touched his cheek, causing his face to turn red. "I'm not going to make fun of you for that! If you can't read, it just means that there is a reason why not. Maybe I'll teach you someday."

"Really?"

"Really."

Link then looked up at the giant fish in front of us. "So, this is Lord Jabu-Jabu..." Link said, still twirling his hands.

"Yep."

"And we have to...get him...to swallow us?"

"I guess..."

"How do we do that?"

We walked up onto the platform where Lord Jabu-Jabu's head was resting.

"I guess we can feed him..."

"Feed him what?"

"Fish, of course!"

So we began to swim around the giant pool, looking for a school of fish. We finally found one, in a shallower section of the pool, where a tree had once fallen and grown in a large curve like a graceful archway. There were quite a few fish in this school, and I took our new bottle and quietly swam toward them. I used my magic to make them swim slow and sluggish. I then scooped one of the fish into the bottle.

My head broke water, and I held up my catch, which was now flapping its tail around helplessly in the bottle. Link smiled and waggled his eyebrows and swam back to the altar.

We stood in front of the giant fish, staring at it, wondering if this was a good idea. I held the bottle upright, careful to keep it covered so the fish wouldn't jump out.

"You ready?" I heard Link whisper.

"Yes. How about you?"

"I - I think."

I gently tipped the bottle upside down. The fish hit the cement and began to flop hopelessly. I put the bottle away.

Link suddenly grabbed my hand, squeezing it, massaging it. Then, just when we looked up, the giant fish's mouth opened.

It was like getting knocked on our feet. Suddenly, we were flying through the air, and the last things I saw were the insides of Lord Jabu-Jabu's mouth, and Link's frightened face.

* * *

><p><strong>Only a few more chapters, and the adult section begins :D EEEEEEEEE!<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

When I landed, I found myself laying on Lord Jabu-Jabu's tongue. In front of us was a pool of water and swimming in the water were octopus-like creatures, staring at us. A couple of bubbles were also floating around.

"Link!" I said, turning to him. He was rubbing his head. When he sat up, he pulled out his shield as one of the Octoroks shot a rock at us. It deflected and landed in the creature's face. It squealed and sank to the bottom of the shallow pool. Link deflected another rock from the other Octorok and it too went down.

Link stood up and took my hand, pulling me to my feet. I then took a moment to pull my still soaking hair up into a band. We walked together to the back of Jabu-Jabu's throat. A strange flap of skin blocked our way, covered in vines.

"What do you suppose we do?" He asked.

I quickly scanned the room and then gestured to a switch on the roof of the fish's mouth.

I looked back at Link to see him staring at me.

"What?"

"Your cheek... That thing turned it purple!"

I shrugged. "The cut turned into a bruise. No biggy."

Link, however, looked worried. He turned away from me and hit the switch with his slingshot. The flap of skin then retreated.

"This is...kinda gross," I said after walking passed the skin.

"Yeah... I agree..."

The room we stepped into was completely circular. The path followed the left side of the room, and on the other side was another flap of skin. I could see another door, but there was no way to reach it since the path didn't reach it.

We weren't the only ones here. A small Biri was floating in the air.

"Don't touch it!" I said, when I saw Link pull out his sword. "It'll electrocute you if you touch it!"

Link nodded and then grabbed my hand, pulling me down the path. As we ran, I noticed that there was another room far below us, but there was no way to reach it, now, either.

When we reached the other side of the path, Link reached out his hand and touched the flap of skin. It retreated at his touch, and Link cringed.

"That was...gross."

We walked through.

This room was much larger, with three more Biri floating around. On the left side of the room was a long, green slimy tentacle. And on the right side was...

"Ruto!" I whispered.

She was there, her back to us. She was shorter than Link, and her body was built very similar to the older Zora's, except she had a more feminine shape. There was also an extra set of fins hanging from her hips, giving the slight illusion that she was wearing a dress. She also didn't have a fin protruding from her head. Instead, from the forehead up, her head was slightly bulbous.

Ruto heard us approaching and she turned to face us.

Even for a fish, she was oddly beautiful. Her eyes were a bright amethyst color, her nose delicate. Her ears were tight to her head and the tips of them were shaped like fins. She was wearing a pair of sapphire earrings. Her skin was thickest from her collarbone down, as if she was wearing a shirt the color of her blue skin. I noticed that on either side of her forehead, where it protruded, was an extra pair of eyes, making it possible to see anything beside her as well. Despite this odd feature, she was very pretty.

"You! Who are you?"

"I'm Link. This is my friend, Maple."

"I am Ruto, Princess of the Zoras."

"So, you're Ruto? We were sent here to get you!" Link exclaimed, holding his arms out wide.

"What? Are you saying my father asked you two to come here to save me? I'd never ask anyone to do such a thing!"

"Yes, you did. We found your letter in a bottle."

"'Letter in a Bottle?' I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"But, Ruto," I added, "your father is worried about you..."

"My father is worried about me?"

"Yes. Very."

"I don't care! Anyway, I can't go home right now. And you guys... Get out of here! Understand?"

She then turned her back on us and started to stalk away. She suddenly tripped, however, and the floor swallowed her.

"Ooooh Noooooooo!" We heard her scream as she fell.

Link and I looked at each other and nodded, grabbing each other's hands and jumping at the spot where she had disappeared.

We landed in a very strange room, full of Biri and many raised platforms. Ruto was standing not far from us.

"Are you still hanging around here?" She said when she saw us. "I told you to go away!"

"Are you okay? That fall was quite far..." Link asked.

"I'm okay. I've been going inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly since I was little, but... Lord Jabu-Jabu is very strange today... "

"How is he different?" I asked.

"There are electrified jellyfish and strange holes around... On top of that, my precious stone was...but... "

"Stone?" Link and I asked at the same time.

"That's none of your business! Anyway... You! Go home now! Understand?"

"We can't. We're worried..." Link said.

"You're that worried about me? Then I will give you the honor of carrying me!"

"Carry?" Link's voice squeaked slightly.

"However... I won't leave until I find the thing I'm looking for. You'd better believe me!" She then sat on the ground and refused to move until Link reached down and cradled her in his arms.

Link threw me an apologetic look. I smiled, but couldn't help but notice that my stomach was churning with jealousy again. I tried to tell myself that he was just doing what he had to, but I couldn't help but glare at the princess...

I followed Link as he touched another skin-door and we emerged into a long corridor full of those strange bubbles. We ran through them, all of us seeming to understand that touching them wasn't a good idea. The corridor led to a large room. There was a giant hole in the ground, separating us from the other side of the room and the next door.

Link and I jumped down into the hole. He then walked to the other side and hoisted Ruto up onto the ledge, where she waited. Link then came back, quickly brushing his fingers across my arms. Just before he walked to a switch, a Stinger swam out of the very shallow water.

I quickly nocked an arrow, ignoring my scabs as I felt them crack, and shot the creature down before it even had a chance to see us.

We walked around the small hole, finding hidden Stingers and using a combination of my arrows and his slingshot to bring them down. After we were sure they were all dead, Link quickly squeezed my hand and walked over to the switch.

"You guys going to hurry up, or what?" I heard Ruto yell. I rolled my eyes.

About then, Link had stepped on the switch and the water in the hole suddenly rose. We quickly swam across the water and joined Ruto on the ledge. She had her arms crossed and was tapping one of her flipper feet, and the sound was very similar to slapping someone's stomach.

"You guys done? I need to find it!" She then sat down again, and Link picked her up.

We walked down another corridor, and this one had a switch just like the last on the ceiling. The door was blocked by strange vines...or maybe veins... I wasn't all to sure I really wanted to know...

Since Link's arms were full, I used my arrows to flip the switch. We then walked through the now open door.

We emerged into a circular room, completely full of water. I looked up to see that a floating platform was slowly making its way down to us. And I realized that we were in the room we had been in before, having just come out of the door below that had been unaccessible. I came to my senses when Link jumped the gap to the platform. I followed and we waited for it to rise.

The silence was awkward. I didn't feel quite right, with Ruto with us. It was like having someone watch every move we made to find something to criticize. I could tell that Link felt very much the same, because he kept staring at me with a look of apprehension and longing...like he wanted nothing more than to hold my hand...

Ruto also kept flashing looks at him...

The platform stopped, and we jumped off and walked through the door.

We were back in the room we had met Ruto, where the green tentacle guarded a corner of the room. We carefully made our way across the room, watching for any more of those strange holes we had fallen through earlier. Once in the clear, we walked through a long corridor and opened another door.

The next room was made completely of six corridors, one of them being where we had come. Three more corridors forked off from the very center of the room, and two more corridors split off from the outer corridors.

As we walked forward and got closer to the center of the room, three creatures suddenly crawled out from the floor. They had no eyes or mouths, but their heads were just a giant pair of pincers, and their bodies made of a line of electricity. The moment they sensed us, they swam through the air, pinching the air around us, trying to get a good bite...

Link and I ran; Ruto screamed. We followed the corridor to our right. When the corridor branched off again, we stayed to the right, since another of those creatures burst from the ground, blocking the corridor to our left. When we neared the door, Link quickly jumped onto a switch in the middle of the hall, and the door at the end opened. As I ran, I couldn't help but notice that the movement of the blood under the skin in the floor was working against us, trying to take us back to the center of the room. We then burst through the door and it closed behind us.

The room in front of us was circular...and completely empty.

Ruto wiggled until Link put her down.

"Pft! What is this? There's nothing even _in_ here! Take me back, now!"

Link just looked at me and rolled his eyes. We then walked to the center of the room, leaving Ruto sputtering at the door. It only took a moment for us to realize that we weren't alone...

Stingers flew out from the floor, hovering above us. Link instantly shot down the closest one as it flew at us, and I shot one off in the distance. I turned to see another had snuck up behind me, but Link roared and slashed it with his sword.

A Stinger flew out of the floor and instantly lunged at Link. It hit him with with such force that it knocked him down, cutting through his tunic and slashing his shoulder. As it tried to dive back into the floor, I shot it down with an arrow.

We took down three more before I ran over to Link and touched his shoulder, instantly healing it. Link squeezed my hand as I lowered it, and then he ran over to a treasure chest that appeared after the creatures were all slain.

"It's a boomerang!" He exclaimed a moment later. "I've always wanted one!"

"Come on!" Ruto yelled. Link growled under his breath and then walked over to her, picking her up.

We left the room and ran back down the corridor. We kept running, passed the strange electric eel creatures, and continued down the western-most corridor. More of those creatures greeted us, but we kept going, running toward a bright blue switch. I jumped on it and Link ran toward the door...

It closed the moment I stepped off, leaving me behind and locking Link and Ruto in the room together.

I suddenly found myself twirling my hands as I stepped back on the switch, waiting for them to come out. After ten minutes, the door opened and they emerged, Ruto looking ravenous and Link annoyed.

"...and I can't believe you let it get that close to me! Do you _know_ who I am?" She yelled, clearly continuing a conversation I had missed. Link, however, ignored her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just scared me, that's all..."

Link smirked and waggled his eyebrows, clearly pleased with my reaction, but said nothing. Ruto huffed and crossed her arms.

"Got the map," Link said. I nodded.

On the way back down the corridor, Navi noticed that the smaller, northwest branching was now free, no longer guarded by a red tentacle.

"The red slimy thing is gone! That must be because you cut the red tail! Will that work with the other ones too?"

"'Red tail'?" I asked. Link just shrugged.

"You'll probably see soon enough. If there's one, there's more to come."

This room was completely full of those strange bubbles. Link instantly dropped Ruto (to my delight with a squeal of pain) and started taking down the bubbles with his newly found boomerang. Within seconds they were gone, and another chest appeared. This chest held a compass. When he had collected it, Link ran back over to us and grabbed the complaining Ruto, and we left.

This time, we went back to the corridor we had been down before, and went down the northeast branching. The tentacle in this corridor was gone as well.

Link ended up being right, about the 'tails'. The moment we opened the door, I noticed that a strange tentacle was hanging from the ceiling like a giant worm. On its very tip was a cluster of spikes that looked like they would be particularly painful if we were hit.

Link set Ruto down and flashed me a warning look, telling me to stay back. He then ran forward and tossed his boomerang, just as the tentacle dropped to attack. The moment the boomerang hit it, the thing groaned and sank up into the ceiling.

It went on for ten minutes; Link throwing his boomerang and then rolling out of the way when it tried to retaliate. It was tough work, and by the time the tentacle had crumbled to pieces, Link's brow was covered in sweat, and he was breathing heavily.

Link picked up Ruto, and for the first time I noticed he looked tired. He then led the way from the room.

The northern most corridor was now clear. We took the hint and ran down it and through the door.

Another tentacle greeted us, although this one was green. Five Biri also floated around the room. Link sighed heavily and set down Ruto. As he passed me, I quickly touched Link's shoulder, sending a wave of energy to him. I saw him smile at me in gratitude, and then he went to work.

Link dodged the tentacle and I shot down the Biri with my arrows. When I was done, Link was now free to dodge around the room, without fear of electrocution from the jellyfish.

Another ten minutes, another tired sigh as he picked up Ruto.

This time, I led, now having a good idea where we needed to go next. I led him back into the large room where we had first seen Ruto, and looked in the corner where the green tentacle had been before.

It was gone, revealing a sinking hole.

I quickly jumped down the hole, and I heard when Link jumped as well, for Ruto screamed.

We were back in the room where we had convinced Ruto to come with us, on a different platform. We walked through the nearest door. The moment we walked through, Ruto screamed.

"That's it! That's what I've been looking for! Throw me up there! Onto the platform!"

Indeed, a large blue stone was laying on the platform in the middle of the circular room. It was definitely the prettiest Stone I had seen thus far, reminding me of the Triforce, made completely of three circular sapphires instead of triangles. Each of the stones was held together with a delicate string of gold.

Link shifted her in his arms, and then tossed her. She landed gracefully, and then reached down and grabbed the stone.

"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed as she looked down at the stone in her hands. "I finally found... My mother's stone... I got very upset when Lord Jabu-Jabu swallowed it..."

"How did he swallow it?" I asked.

"While I was feeding him, he suddenly swallowed me! I was so surprised I dropped it inside... But, now that I've found it, I don't need to be in here anymore! So, take me home, right now!" She demanded.

Link and I stepped forward, but the moment we moved, the platform suddenly shuddered. Ruto screamed, and then the platform suddenly rose, taking her with it.

"Keeeyaaaaah!" We heard her scream, once the platform disappeared into the ceiling above. "What is this? An octopus?"

The door suddenly locked behind us, and the platform fell. On it was a giant...well, octopus like creature, which had a giant shell covering the majority of its body.

The thing jumped off the platform, which now had spikes protruding from it. The creature was so wide that it barely fit in the space between the platform and the wall.

Link didn't hesitate: he instantly grabbed me and threw me up, onto the platform. As soon as I landed, the creature started charging at Link, and the way the octopus was squeezed in the space caused the platform to move, opposite the way it was going.

I closed my eyes and laid back, suddenly dizzy. The creature was moving fast, and the platform was moving even faster as a result. I heard Navi yelling instructions at Link as he ran from it. She kept saying something about the creature's backside...

I spun for so long that I didn't think I would ever know how to walk straight again. But the longer I was there, the more I heard that Link had found the creature's weakness, for it kept screaming and then would turn around to charge at him again.

Ten minutes dragged into fifteen...twenty...thirty. After about thirty-five minutes, I finally felt the platform come to a complete halt.

"You okay?" Link asked, as he joined me on the platform. I didn't answer, afraid that more than words would emerge. He seemed to understand, for he stayed quiet as the platform rose into the ceiling.

"Ruto's not here," Link said after the platform came to a halt. I slowly sat up and rubbed at my head. "You okay?" He repeated.

"Yeah, I am now..."

It took me a moment to gain my footing, but after I did, I was able to see that there was a door not to far away.

Link grabbed my hand and sighed with relief.

"What?" I asked.

"I've been waiting to do that ever since we found Ruto..." He massaged the back of my hand. He was forced to let go, however, when we came near two Biri. He took them down with a single throw of his boomerang. His hand was around mine again and we walked through the door together.

In the next room, I noticed that the exit was far to our left, the only way to get across was by jumping between the two strange platforms ahead. When we drew close, however, the closest one suddenly sprang to life and started to swing all about, making a strange flapping noise. Link's hand was suddenly gone, throwing the boomerang at the strange red thing.

The moment it connected, the thing froze, shrinking down so we could stand on it. Link took my hand and we jumped onto it. The other platform sprang to life, and it froze after contact with the boomerang as well. We then jumped together and left the room.

The next room was very small, and the only place to go was a lone path, a leap away. The moment we touched it, it fell, connecting with the path in the circular room that was strangely tall. We now had access to a door we hadn't been able to reach before, because this platform now connected the door to the rest of the room.

A single blue switch stood in front of the new door. I knew now that the blue switches needed constant pressure on them to work, so I motioned for Link to pick up a box that happened to be conveniently there. He did and set it on the switch. The door opened.

A large platform, covered in veins or vines, jutted from the middle of the circular room. There was only one other door, and I knew from the map that the room beyond was the last place we would visit here.

Link took down the three Biri with his boomerang, and then he climbed up the platform, leaving me at the bottom to wait. I watched as he used his boomerang to trip a switch behind an invisible wall, and the door behind me opened.

Link was next to me in a brief moment. Before he led me through the door, Link grabbed my hand and turned me to face him.

"This is it," he said. I nodded. "Whatever is in there...be careful...okay? I don't know what I would do if you got hurt, again..."

"I'll be careful; I promise."

Link squeezed my hand, and we walked through.


	16. Chapter 16

**Haha! Yes, yes, I know! _Another_ chapter already! But I'm super excited that I'm now only two chapters from the adult timeline, and it has always been my favorite part!**

**Almost there :D**

* * *

><p>It was almost as if there was a mutual sense of finality between the two of us. Both of us seemed to understand that this was it; the last step to saving the world. There was no way the Zoras could possibly refuse to give us the Stone after saving their guardian god. After this, we would be able to live out our lives freely...<p>

As the door closed behind us, Link tightened his grip on my hand. I felt the wave of evil pour over me, similar to the evil that had been inside the Great Deku Tree. I knew then that, if I hadn't been so weak, I would have felt this same evil when Link fought the large Dodongo. Ganondorf was the cause of this...

We both saw what was in front of us and drew closer together.

It was like a bulbous parasite, three, arm-like extensions connected to the roof of whatever organ we were in, feeding off of Lord Jabu-Jabu's blood. Three more extensions hung lump, above a body that was half hidden in the floor below, but round. And all throughout the room were oversized Biri, extremely wide but short.

The moment the door closed behind us, the parasite in front of us pulled itself out of the ground, but only slightly. It then shot out multiple jets of electricity, each one connecting to one of the numerous Biri. It then pulled all the Biri to itself, and soon every inch of its bulbous and gross body was covered in them, like some sort of weird armor.

The moment it was done, the closest arm to us suddenly rose and began to flash with electricity. I instantly pulled Link away, just as a blast of electricity hit the ground where we had been, making the room shudder.

We kept running, jets of light following us where ever we went. Link finally grabbed his boomerang, waited for the brief moment between blasts, and threw it at one of the parasites extensions that connected it to the roof. The thing roared, but that arm fell, useless.

We lunged out of the way, dodging a blast and Link managing to catch his boomerang as we moved. The instant the boomerang was in his hands, Link threw it again, aiming at the second arm. It too, fell, leaving only one arm attached, causing the creature to lean to one side.

We lunged again, but this blast was so close that I felt my hair rise into the air. The room was now so electrically charged that every step we took seemed to send up electric sparks. I could feel the static in my clothes...

Link threw his boomerang again, and the thing dislodged from the ceiling. The parasite roared again and sank to the floor, hiding a layer of Biri armor under the ground. The layer that was exposed dislodged from the creature and began to slowly spin around the room, still connected to the body by electricity. Each one moved, trying to hit one of us.

Link acted instinctively, throwing his boomerang at the now exposed body of the parasite. The thing screamed and was stunned, leaving the Biri frozen and exposed. Link ran to the closest one, slashing it with his sword. It squealed and vanished. Link then threw his boomerang at another that was out of reach and it disappeared as well. As the boomerang flew around the room, Link turned and slashed another, while I nocked an arrow and it pierced another.

The parasite recovered, half of its top half of armor now gone. The Biri flew around the room, angry now, veering off path to lunge at us. We dodged them easily, because of their slow and sluggish movements, and Link threw his boomerang at the parasite again.

The Biri went still, and we went to work, Link slashing and throwing, me jumping and piercing. When we finished, the top half of armor was now gone.

The parasite screamed with fury and rose completely, revealing its bottom-most layer of armor and a spiky protrusion at the bottom of its bulbous body. It began to spin, uncontrollably, so fast that the Biri were just a blur. They had disconnected and now were hovering so close to the body that it was almost impossible to stun it. It was also shooting electricity again.

Link grabbed my hand and we ran, dodging blasts. I yanked my hand from Link's and stopped, nocking an arrow so fast that it was just a blur. I then let it fly and dove out of the way as another blast of electricity hit the ground. It was so close that I felt my body seize as the electricity lightly ran over the lower half of my body. But Link was there, yanking me to my feet and pulling me away from another blast.

My aim had been true, and now Biri were scattered around the room. The parasite was retaliating, shooting electricity from afar after sinking its exposed body in the ground.

We ran around the room, killing Biri as fast as we could. When the creature recovered and rose from the ground, pulling the Biri back, Link was too close and its spikes hit him, throwing him across the room. I screamed, running to him and pulling him up. He was covered in gashes, but he seemed not to notice, springing up and pulling me around the room.

Now a good chunk of Biri were gone, so Link was able to throw his boomerang and hit the the mostly exposed creature. It froze again and hovered briefly above the ground. Then it sank and we went back to work, killing the hovering Biri while avoiding electric blasts.

Finally, the Biri were completely gone, and the parasite went on the offensive, spinning so close to us that I could feel the wind from its spikes rushing around us. Link quickly threw the boomerang, and the creature screamed, stunned.

Link lunged, using the brief moment that the creature hovered above the ground, before it attacked. The creature screamed again and sank into the ground.

We ran around the room, jumping away from the blasts of electricity. We continued running when the creature recovered and started to spin, all over again. It began to shoot electricity as it spun, trying to hit us in every possible way.

Link threw the boomerang again, and the creature screamed and froze. Link lunged, stabbing it and slashing open its flesh, sending green goo everywhere.

The creature moaned in agony, and suddenly its body erupted in boils. The creature's skin exploded, revealing a layer of skin below that was red raw. More boils covered the creature all over again, and as it was completely engulfed, the creature screamed, and it exploded, green guts flying everywhere.

Link and I looked at each other, faces covered in the creature's innards, and laughed, relieved. We then saw the blue light appear, in the corner of the room, and in the light stood Princess Ruto.

Her cheeks were red with fury and she was waving her arms around everywhere. As we approached, she started yelling at us.

"You... You're late!" She screamed. "What took you so long? You're useless!"

We entered the light with her and she began to stutter.

"I was just lonely, that's all... Just a little!"

The light then took all three of us, and I could no longer see anything.

When I opened my eyes, I realized that we were standing on the fallen tree in the lake where Lord Jabu-Jabu rested. I turned, looking for Link, and gasped.

Ruto was standing directly in front of Link, so close that at first Link seemed confused. He then yelled and tumbled backwards, into the water below. The moment he surfaced, Ruto dove gracefully into the water, disappearing. I followed, swimming until I was next to Link.

Ruto appeared and she swam over to us, smiling at Link and her eyes full of adoration and awe. I felt my blood boil.

"You!" She said to Link when she stopped in front of him. "You looked cool...cooler than I thought you would, anyways... Just a little!" Link said nothing, she so grinned. "Well, anyway, you saved me, so I guess I'll reward you. What do you wish? Just tell me..."

Link was so stunned by her sudden change of behavior that he just shook his head.

"Heeheehee... Don't be shy," she whispered, causing Link's cheeks to flush, "I can tell what you're thinking..."

"Really?" I yelled, loudly. "If you could really tell, you would see that you're making him uncomfortable!" Ruto glared at me briefly, but then turned back to Link and smiled.

"My mother gave it to me and said I should give it only to the man who will be my husband. You might call it the Zora's Engagement Ring!"

"Wait - wha?" Link exclaimed.

"All right!" She said, cutting him off, "I'll give you my most precious possession: Zora's Sapphire!"

As she handed Link the Stone, I realized that the sapphires in it were so vibrant that they made the clean, pure water we were in look grey and meek. Link looked down at it, a look on his face that clearly said he wasn't quite sure he still wanted it.

"Don't tell my father..." Ruto mumbled, as Link pocketed the Stone.

Despite the fact that my blood was boiling because of the strange turn of events, I laughed. Those exact words had been scribbled at the bottom of the note that Ruto claimed she never wrote! I hadn't read them to Link, thinking the statement insignificant, so now I wished I had told him, so we could laugh at the irony together, at the words that practically _proved_ she had wrote it!

The three of us swam to shore and then made our way back to the Zora's Domain. The entire way, I noticed that Ruto stared at Link with that same look of adoration and awe. She saw me glaring at her, and she stuck out her tongue.

At first, I wanted to slap her. But then I remembered the look on Link's face when Ruto had said the Stone was an engagement ring, and the fact that he was now looking at _my_ hands with longing and not looking at her at all. This revelation made me want to stick out my tongue as well, but I didn't. I smiled at her, instead.

That was clearly not what she had expected. Her mouth dropped open, and for a moment she just stared at me. She then huffed, crossed her arms, and stalked ahead of us, disappearing into the light ahead.

"What's her problem?" Link asked. Link didn't seem too worried, however, because the moment she was gone he grabbed my hand and massaged it with his thumb.

"She's just jealous."

Link smirked. Our hands sprang apart when we emerged behind the King's throne. We jumped down and the King thanked us, a large smile on his face as he looked down at his daughter, who was standing next to him. Ruto waved at Link, and then threw a death stare at me. I smiled at her all the same, reveling in her reaction.

Link started walking down the stairs, but I pulled him back, toward a small cavern to our right, to the left of the throne. Link's look of confusion was clear, but he followed all the same. I walked backwards, down the dark cavern, smiling at him...

I couldn't believe it! We had gotten all three of the Stones! It was over...!

I stopped when the floor suddenly dropped and turned, looking down from the top of the gentle waterfall inside the domain. There was a Zora standing at the top of the falls as well, and he smiled at us.

"Feel free to dive off! It's quite exhilarating!" He said, in that same, wispy voice.

I looked back at Link, squeezed his hand, and then jumped.

It was the most exhilarating thing I had ever done! For the first few moments, I was free; flying! It made me wish that, instead of all the powers I had, I could fly, whenever I wanted!

I threw my hands out in front of me, just as I hit the water, shooting through the surface like a bullet, making nearly no noise. I felt the water ripple behind me, moments later, as Link landed as well. I surfaced before him.

He emerged and laughed, his face beaming like I had never seen before.

"That was _amazing_!" He screamed, throwing his hands into the air.

I laughed with him, watching him. As I watched, I couldn't help but notice that _this_ Link, the one exhilarated from his joy, was the way he was supposed to be. The smile fit in with that characteristic smirk and waggling eyebrows that he often flashed me. _This_ is the way that he was supposed to be...

We swam to shore, and after we were on dry land we took a moment to wring out our clothes. I spent a few moments wringing out my hair, and then putting it back in a band. I checked my bow and arrows, making sure my waterproof spell was still effective: it was. I healed Link's wounds from the fight. Link then grabbed my hand and we walked, up and out of the domain. We leapt through the giant waterfall hiding the entrance, and made our way back down the river.

As we walked, I thought about what my life would be like now. Would Link go back to the forest? Or would he travel around Hyrule, with me? I couldn't help but smile, thinking of what it would be like, growing up with him. I knew that I would be able to grow normally now, so maybe I would never have to tell Link about my true age... We could just grow up together, seeing where fate would take us. See if there really _was_ potential between us...

The river was a little more than halfway between the forest and the castle, so the walk was long. Neither of us minded, and neither of us were tired, despite the darkening sky above. We just walked, hand in hand, his thumb constantly rubbing the back of my hand. I was relaxed and happy...

With my luck, however, I should have known that my happiness wasn't meant to be...

The walk was too short, for both of us. Neither of us had wanted the walk to end, even though we didn't speak the entire time. We just smiled and skipped, happy that it was over. Yet, as we neared the castle, I realized that there were storm clouds hovering over the castle. My feeling of elation ebbed away, and suddenly I remembered Princess Zelda's dream... The storm clouds...

Had something happened?

As we approached, the bridge, despite it being dark, started to lower and whoever was lowering it was doing so with great speed. I felt Link freeze next to me.

"No..." he whispered.

Before the bridge was down, a white horse, donned with a saddle and tapestries of the Royal Family, burst onto the field. I caught a glimpse of Impa, reins in her hands, and a scared Zelda cradled against the horse's neck.

"Link! Maple!" She yelled, her voice fading as her distance increased. I then saw her throw something into the air, and I heard a 'plop!' as it landed in the river that ran around the castle walls, behind us. And then they disappeared.

Suddenly, a wave of evil hit me from behind and I stumbled, falling to the ground. Link leaned down and helped me back up. But, as if he had known, he turned and gasped.

Behind us was a man on a black horse. His skin had a distinctly green hue, and his hair so orange that his head almost seemed it was on fire. His eyes were a sickening yellow, and I suddenly knew what Zelda had meant by his evil eyes.

How had the King not believed her about his intentions?

"Arrrgh! I lost her!" He exclaimed, looking off in the direction that Impa had disappeared with the Princess. He then noticed us. "You, over there! Little kids! You must have seen the white horse gallop past just now... Which way did it go?"

Link and I just glared at him.

"Answer me!" He yelled, when we didn't answer.

"We'll _never_ tell you!" I growled.

He smiled, an evil smile that made my hair stand on end. "So, you think you can protect them from me... You've got guts, kid."

Link unsheathed his sword, moving between Ganondorf and where the Princess had disappeared off in the distance.

"Heh heh heh..." He laughed, slow and deliberate. "You want a piece of me? Very funny! I like your attitude!"

He raised his hand, and he gathered a small piece of magic into it, creating a small ball of light. He threw it, and it collided with Link, who fell backwards. I screamed and ran to him, helping him up.

"Pathetic little fool!" Ganondorf yelled, furious. "Do you realize who you are dealing with? I am Ganondorf! And soon, I will rule the world!"

Ganondorf gave us one last glance, and then he kicked the sides of his horse, disappearing into the horizon.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my voice shaking. Link nodded and stood up, rubbing his head.

"Yes."

"We need to go! Now! Before he gets back!"

Link nodded and we ran toward the castle. As we crossed the bridge, I suddenly stopped him and pointed to the water below, where I could see something at the bottom reflecting the light of the sun, which had risen.

Link instantly dove into the water, and he emerged moments later, holding a periwinkle blue ocarina. As he climbed out of the water, his eyes suddenly went blank.

"Link!" I screamed, running to him. But he was in some sort of trance and didn't answer.

He was like that for a full five minutes, and the entire time I paced in front of him, wringing my hands. Finally, Link's eyes fluttered and he swayed. I reached out and steadied him.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"The...Princess. She spoke to me, just now." He held out the ocarina in his hands. "This is the Ocarina of Time, and she just taught me the song we need to play in front of the altar in the Temple of Time..." He then looked up at me, his face determined. "Let's go! Now!"

The town was bustling, but not with the usual fervor. Instead, the people looked scared, and they kept whispering about a white horse and a commotion up at the castle...

I led Link to the Temple of Time, a place he hadn't been to before. It rose up above the town, easy to spot even through the crowd. Link held tight to my hand all the way.

Once inside, it was quiet, calm. The room was long and spacious, with no chairs or tables. The only things that stood out were an altar, at the other end, and a strange stone door behind it.

Link led the way and we stopped in front of the altar. There were three hollows in it, and I read aloud the inscription above:

"'Ye who owns three Spiritual Stones, Stand with the Ocarina of Time, And play the Song of Time.'"

Link looked at me and nodded.

For a brief moment, as Link pulled out the Ocarina of Time, I thought to stop him. We had the keys; if we just kept them safe, Ganondorf wouldn't be able to obtain them. If we played the song and opened the Door of Time, all he had to do was come in and stop us...

But Link had started playing, and even if I had stopped him, I could do nothing now.

The song was slow, sad. As he played, a Triforce above the Door of Time began to glow. The Spiritual Stones in Link's pouch hovered up and out, situating themselves in the hollows in front of us. As the song finished, the giant door, decorated with what looked like a glowing sun, slowly moved, disappearing into the wall, revealing a hidden room.

Link grabbed my hand and we slowly climbed the stairs up into the room.

Navi flew from Link's hat and gasped. "Link, isn't that...?" She flew off, deeper into the room, where there was a platform and a pedestal. In the pedestal was...

"It's that legendary blade..." Navi exclaimed, as she circled the blade with the blue hilt. "The Master Sword!"

Link, whose hand was still around mine, led me forward. As I got closer, I realized that it was, indeed, the Master Sword stuck in the pedestal. It was a legendary blade: the sword of evil's bane. It was said in legend that only this sword could truly destroy evil.

Link let go of my hand and stood next to the sword, examining it.

"Should I try to pull it out?" He asked, more to himself than to me. I said nothing, and just watched.

Link's hands grasped the hilt. As I saw his muscles strain, I suddenly had the feeling that this was it. This was the last time I was going to see him for a long time...

As the sword slipped free from the pedestal, Link's arms straining from the sword's weight, I appeared at his side. A light sprang from the sky, blinding me, and I felt Link starting to slip away.

"I'll wait for you," I heard myself whisper to him. As he turned to look at me, his face confused, my lips brushed his cheek...

And then, he was gone.


	17. Chapter 17

**This chapter will be short, because it just serves to tell what happens to Maple in the next seven years.**

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><p>I felt my knees hit the cement, felt my body shake from sobs. I heard nothing, however. All I felt was the dread that he was now gone... I looked up, and even through my tears I could see that he wasn't there, the sword gone...<p>

I don't know how long I sat there, sobbing, but I suddenly came to my senses when I heard laughter...evil laughter.

I snapped out of my depression, and the wave of evil hit me like a brick wall. I gasped, instantly casting the spell that hid me from evil eyes, sinking to the farthest corner of the room...

Ganondorf appeared, still laughing.

"Geh heh heh! Excellent work!" He said, to the seemingly empty room. "As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have led me to the gates of the Scared Realm... Yes, I owe it all to you, kid!" He broke out into more laughter and stepped up to the pedestal. There was another blinding flash of light and then he, too, was gone.

How had I been so stupid! I had let my grief cloud my judgement! I should have entered the Sacred Realm and claimed the Triforce, before Ganondorf! But now, it was too late...

I jumped up from my hiding spot and ran, ran as fast as I could. I ran through the still packed streets of the town, out into the open field. I continued to run, not realizing that I was heading to Kakariko Village until I was there. Even when I entered, I ran into the graveyard, stopping only to cower in a corner...

I stayed there for several hours, crying. Link was gone, and now Ganondorf had gotten his wish...

Hours turned into days, and I finally moved, if only to find food. When I emerged into the village, I came to see that there were many more people there, all of them claiming that there were monsters pouring out from inside of the Temple of Time, how they barely escaped...

Days passed into weeks, and more people came, the village suddenly bustling. As more people came, they spoke of the horrors back at the castle, the death of the King and the disappearance of the Princess...

Weeks turned into months, and I finally felt myself adjusting. I no longer spent every second of my day crying. I began to help around the town, which was now extremely full. I started walking down the trail to Hyrule Field and watched, waiting for a boy in green to appear...

Months turned into years, and I managed to obtain my own house. Even though I no longer cried for Link, I thought of him everyday. I was forced to finally stop walking down to the field, because of the ghosts that now haunted the field, just near the trail up to the village. I had no will to fight them off, however, and stopped walking down altogether.

Talon appeared one day, in the village, crying about how his ranch-hand had taken over and kicked him out. Malon was now forced to work and watch as he abused the horses. Talon began to spend his days crying and sleeping, much like I had done before...

I was right, about the curse. It was gone. As my body grew older, I began to realize that, not only had I been stuck in the body of a twelve year old, I had had the brain of one, too. I had never truly grown up, mature in only my knowledge and wisdom. It was why I had begun to like Link despite my age... I had truly only been twelve.

As the years passed, I grew, maturing for the first time in my life. I began to except that Link would come back when it was time, and all I had to do was wait for him. So I spent my days working for the village, trying to drown out my sadness as his absence. But every night, no matter how tired I was, I would think about him, wonder what he looked like. Was he free now? Had he just not gotten the chance to come find me? Would he know where I was? Would he know just how much I missed him? How right he had been about my feelings that entire time...?

But still, I waited.


	18. Chapter 18

**Alright, so from here on out, I'm going to switch back and forth between Maple and Link's perspectives. Maples talks strictly in the first person, while Link will talk in third. I'll try to make it obvious who is talking, so bear with me :)**

**Enjoy**

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><p>His mind was pulling on the edge of consciousness. He could feel himself, there, but where he wasn't sure. As his mind began to clear, he realized that someone was calling his name.<p>

His first real thought was of Maple. Was it her, calling to him? But as he listened, he realized that the voice was distinctly male, deep and wise. It was a familiar voice, one he swore he had heard before...

"Wake up... Link, the chosen one..."

Okay, now he _knew_ that it wasn't Maple. She had never called him anything remotely close to a 'chosen one'...

It then dawned on him. Why was someone calling him chosen?

He finally felt himself come to, and he realized that he was laying on a soft, yet hard, surface. He finally felt his eyes flutter open, and he then realized that he was laying on what appeared to be glass, and under that glass was water, rippling gently.

Link pushed himself up onto his knees, keeping his hands under him as well to make sure he didn't fall. He felt like he had been sleeping for a long, long time...and felt dizzy because of it.

He slowly looked up, trying to see the person who had woke him. As he raised his eyes, taking in the dark walls that seemed to just keep rising forever, they fell on a man.

Link stood, taking in the man in front of him. He was wearing orange robes, with sleeves so long that his hands were completely hidden, and a hood was draped over his shoulders. His hair was white as snow, pulled back into a short ponytail, and his thick beard came down from his sideburns and joined below his chin. His mouth was barely visible passed the beard and mustache.

"I am Rauru, one of the ancient Sages..." He said, with that voice that was still oddly familiar. "Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm... This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light... The Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces. The Master Sword - the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time - was the final key to the Sacred Realm," Rauru said, answering every question Link had as if he could read his mind. "Link... Don't be alarmed... Look at yourself...!"

Link looked down, and gasped.

He was taller, his hands stronger. Someone had given him a new green tunic, one that now fit his bigger frame. His boots were larger, his legs longer. He felt his face and realized that it was older, mature. The baby roundness was now mostly gone.

"Look Link! You're big now! You've grown up!" Navi said, hopping up and down in the air.

"The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch..." Rauru said as Link continued to examine himself. "Only one worthy of the title of 'Hero of Time' can pull it from the Pedestal of Time... However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time..."

"Too...young?" Link asked, surprised that his voice was deep, smooth. The voice of an adult. Rauru nodded.

"Therefore, your spirit was sealed here for seven years. And now that you are old enough, the time has come for you to awaken as the Hero of Time! Well, do you understand your destiny?"

"I...am the Hero of Time?" He asked. Rauru nodded again.

"But, remember... Though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace... Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm! He obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil... His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters. My power now has only little influence, even in this Sacred Realm... Namely, this Chamber of Sages. But there is still hope... The power of the Sages remains."

"What do you mean?"

"When the power of all the Sages is awakened... The Sages' Seals will contain all the evil power in the void of the Realm... I, Rauru, am one of the Sages... And... Your power to fight together with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time! The Hero of Time, chosen by the Master Sword! Keep my spirit with you... And, find the power of the other Sages and add their might to your own!"

Link took what the man held out. It was a golden medallion, on one side of which was the Triforce, and on the other three circles and three triangles, arranged side-by-side, one after the other, in a circle.

"One other thing," Rauru said, as Link pocketed the medallion, "an ancient goddess sleeps in Hyrule, knowing not of her true identity. You must awaken her to her true fate, for without her powers, this fight will be for nothing!"

"Why?"

"She is the one whose powers tie us together! Us Sages and you! Without her power, us Sages will not be able to awaken fully and seal away Ganondorf's evil!"

"Do you know who she is?"

Rauru sighed. "I do not. Her identity as been kept secret for ages, to keep her safe. But without her, Ganondorf cannot be stopped!"

Link nodded. Then, a bright light engulfed him, blinding him.

"Find the other Sages, awaken the goddess, and save Hyrule!" Rauru said, his voice fading.

When Link opened his eyes, he realized that he was now back in the Temple of Time. It looked untouched, exactly as it had appeared before.

"Link...we're back in the Temple of Time..." Navi said. "But have seven years really passed?"

"By my changes, I'd say yes."

"It looks like you won't be able to use some of the weapons you found as a kid anymore... Let's get out of here!"

Link nodded and then stepped forward. Once he was near the bottom of the stairs, which led to the pedestal behind him, he thought he heard a noise...

Ganondorf's face flashed through his mind...

Link unsheathed his sword and readied his shield, turning around before whoever was back there had a chance to attack.

But it wasn't Ganondorf. It was a young man, with blond hair and red eyes. He was dressed in a blue suit, tight to his body. Much of his body was also covered in white cloth, including his head.

"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time..." The man said.

"Who are you?" Link asked, still cautious.

"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest... One on a high mountain... One under a vast lake... One within the house of the dead... One inside a goddess of the sand... Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world..."

"What are you saying?" Link asked, putting away his sword.

"This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah."

"Who are you?" Link repeated.

"I am Sheik. Survivor of the Sheikahs..."

The name of the people seemed to rang a bell to Link. He remembered a woman with white hair, teaching him a lullaby, and then running away with Princess Zelda...

"Impa is a Sheikah," Link said.

"As I see you standing there holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time... If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages..."

"But, where do I go?"

"One Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know... Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm..." Sheik looked Link up and down and frowned. "Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple... But, if you believe what I'm saying, you should head to Kakariko Village..."

"What about this goddess?"

Sheik merely crossed his arms. "I do not know who she is. Listen to the goddesses above: they will lead you to her. Do you understand, Link?"

"I - I understand."

Link then turned and left.

As he walked out of the Temple of Time, he got to see the root of Ganondorf's evil for his own eyes. The castle town, which had been bustling with people the last time he had been there, was empty. Storm clouds billowed overhead, and a foul wind blew from the direction of the castle. All of the buildings and houses were destroyed, burnt to the ground.

The sight made Link's heart fall...

What had he done?

He ran toward the square, where he instantly saw that a group of ReDeads were standing guard. Mummy-like creatures that he had seen only once before, whose screams froze you in place. The moment they were upon you, they began to feed from your flesh...

Link walked carefully, quietly, trying not to be seen or heard by them. They were all in a trance, staring at the remains of the fountain in the center of the square. Just as he was near the street that led to Hyrule Field, a ReDead heard him, and Link saw it begin to turn to face him.

Link ran, suddenly terrified. He ran down the street, passed the many destroyed houses and buildings, and over the broken bridge that used to keep the town safe at night. The moment he was in the field, he remembered...

Maple. She had said she was going to wait for him... How had she known that he was going to be sealed away? How _could_ she have known?

Link suddenly had a strange thought. Could _she_ have anything to do with this unknown goddess?

Link shook his head, and then ran. It was as if he knew that she would be waiting for him in Kakariko, for that's where his feet took him. As he ran, he could think of nothing else. All he could wonder was if she was still safe, if she remembered him.

He ran, his long legs caring him much faster than he could have imagined. But, even so, the journey seemed painstakingly long. It was as if every particle of his being was _screaming_ at him that she was so close, and he wasn't moving fast enough...

He finally saw the trail, cutting through the mountain, that he knew led to the village. He felt himself pick up his pace, going even faster. Soon, he was climbing the trail, scaling it with ease in with his older, fitter body.

He entered the village and froze for just a moment. Who were all these people? He recognized a few, from his trip through the town, but what were they doing here? He then remembered the destruction of the castle town, and started running through the village.

He _knew_ she was here. But where? There were so many people now that he was sure he'd miss her in the crowd...

Would he even recognize her? Would she have changed? Would she recognize _him_?

Then, he heard it: a voice so beautiful that the world seemed to stop around him. He recognized that voice, knew it better than the back of his hand...

He turned toward it, stopping, scanning the crowd...

There she was. How he could have even thought that he wouldn't recognize her? Everything about her had been burned into his brain from the moment he had met her. Even now, now that she was nineteen, he still saw the young girl in her he had met so long ago...

She was singing, her back turned to him, dancing. He surprised himself when he stopped, when there was still a great distance between them, and just watched, wringing his hands as he often did when nervous. He watched her midnight-black hair, as it waved with her movements and skimmed her calves. He admired her long legs and arms, her lily white skin. As she turned, her eyes closed, he admired her perfect, hourglass-shaped body, how her muscles tensed and relaxed under her simple white dress.

His eyes wandered to her face, and it was so much the same. Almost perfectly oval-shaped, slightly heart-shaped. How her delicate nose swooped with such grace, fitting perfectly with her full, rose red lips. The curve of her jaw to her neck was perfect, elegant.

Link wondered to himself how anyone could have seen someone more beautiful.

His hands twirled with greater speed as her eyes fluttered open. He watched as she blinked her eyes, her song fading, as if she thought she was hallucinating. Her spinning suddenly stopped, her song ceased. Link noticed that everyone around them turned to her, wondering why it had stopped. But then they went back to their various activities as if nothing had happened.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and Link watched the different emotions play across her strange eyes...the strangest eyes he had ever seen, yet so wonderful...

They were the perfect, almond-shape, with long lashes that tickled her cheeks with every blink. And their color...so unique. One eye was a bright, striking blue, the color of a clear sky...the other a dark, deep, gentle brown. He knew that, when she was close, her blue eye had specks of that same, dark brown, as if it hadn't been able to decide what color to be.

The effect was just as striking now as it had been the day he met her, in the forest.

He felt his feet move forward, but they were hesitant. Would she hate him? Did she still care? He realized that she was moving too, and noticed that she wore no shoes, her delicate feet not even depressing the ground they touched, as if she was as light as a feather...

Then, she was running, her hair flying around her shoulders like a giant sheet. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and how she could even see was a miracle.

She collided with him with such force that he almost fell over. As she sobbed into his chest, he realized that he was _taller_ than her! A good _head_ taller, too!

How much had he _grown_?

Maple was crying with such intensity that she couldn't hold herself up. She slumped against him, and he felt himself fall to his knees along with her. He then realized that his eyes were full of tears, for when she finally looked up at him, her face was blurry. He rubbed at them, mad that the first time he was seeing her face so close was obstructed by something like tears...

"Link," she whispered, her voice like music to his ears, delicate and sweet. "Link..."

His vision cleared and he saw her, her face beaming at the sight of him. He could feel her hands, shaking in his. She let out a short sigh of relief, and then her shaking fingers were caressing his face. They tickled his cheeks, caressed his nose, touched his hair. He closed his eyes and understood the grief she had felt the last seven years, as if her touch was channeling it to him. He suddenly believed that seven years had passed for him as well, every moment of them being terrible without her...

He felt her place her hands on either side of his face, her thumbs running up his cheek with such care that his heart raced against his chest.

"Link," she whispered again. He felt her lips brush his nose, and then her arms were around him again, squeezing him tight. He lifted her to her feet as he stood, wrapping his arms around her as he did. Every inch of her shook under his touch.

"Y - you okay?" He asked, surprised at how his voice came out deep and smooth, almost seductive.

She laughed and raised her head, her eyes now clear. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that."

"Seven years is my guess..."

She laughed again, burying her head in his chest. He smirked.

"See, you missed me..."

He lifted her face, marveling at how her eyes shone at the sight of him. He let go of her and touched her cheeks, caressed her nose, like she had done to him. He loved the feel of her skin, softer than anything he had ever touched. She sighed, grabbing his hand and kissing his palm. He felt his heart jump into his throat.

"Come," she said. "Daisy invited me over for dinner. I'm sure she will be happy to see you."


	19. Chapter 19

**So, I tried to take a break and let everyone catch up to the story, but as soon as I walked away from my computer, I had a complete scene mapped out in my head. Been gritting my teeth as I've been trying to hold off but...as you see, not very successful, lol.**

**For anyone who is a follower of the sequel to this story, called The Fourth Goddess, please bare with me. I probably won't be updating that story until I get this one done. I might even try to rewrite TFG after this one is done, since I think it needs some work anyways.**

**Oh, and for anyone who is curious to see how I picture my OC, I have a link to my Deviant art site on my profile. Feel free to check it out :) I just posted two more drawings of Maple and Link, called Sad Maple and Long Awaited Embrace for this story, so take a look **

**Enjoy**

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><p>It was the best dinner I had had in a long time...<p>

Daisy had recognized Link the moment he had walked through the door. She had run over to him and started messing with the collar of his tunic, exclaiming that he was skinny and needed a good meal. Link had mumbled something incomprehensible at that point and twirled his hands, no different than he had as a child.

As Link ate, I couldn't help but admire how he had grown into himself. He was tall, taller than the average man, and his haircut was no different to how it had been as a child. His blue eyes had darkened somewhat, his chin was stronger. His nose was strong as well, but it fit in very well. His eyes were also piercing, like he had somehow gained the ability to see into people's souls in the last seven years.

He was strong, his muscles standing out under his clothes, which were different as well. He was wearing a white shirt under his tunic, and a pair of white tights. He still had the same green tunic and hat, modified for his larger body.

What did they _feed_ him? I asked myself, as I looked over at him. He was so tall...even while he was sitting...

Link saw me staring at him and smirked. I felt my cheeks flush, and I hid it by eating my already half-eaten food.

"So, where've you been the last seven years?" Daisy suddenly asked. Link just shrugged.

"I'm not quite sure..."

"Well it wasn't right, leaving like you did!" She scolded. "You didn't see the effect it had on - "

"Daisy!" I yelled.

"Well, dear, it's true! He wasn't the one watching you waste away for the first few years!" She turned back to Link, whose mouth was wide open so food was falling out. "I knew the moment that it happened," she continued, "came rushing through the village, crying, and didn't move from that corner of the graveyard for days!"

"I wish you wouldn't talk about me like I wasn't here," I mumbled. She didn't seem to notice.

"And, until the monsters started haunting the trail to the field, she would spend most of her day down there, waiting! I've only just, in the last two years, seen her come 'round!"

Link looked at me, his face solemn.

"It wasn't your fault!" I said. "You had no choice! It just...took me awhile to see that you'd come when you could."

Daisy sighed. "But, what's done is done! Can't complain any longer! Anymore food, dear?" She asked Link. He shook his head, his eyes still sad even though he smiled.

We left not long after that, Daisy still complaining about Link's "lack of meat on the bones!" I knew that, however, he wasn't skinny because of malnourishment; anyone could see that he was very trim and fit, pure muscle.

Link followed me without a word, up onto a cliff that overlooked the village, near the windmill. We sat down next to each other and watched the sunset.

"So, it was really that bad, huh?" He asked, his voice dripping with sadness.

"Well, it sounds bad coming from her..."

"But how was it to _you_."

I sighed, curling up my legs and burying my face between my knees. "Well, maybe it was that bad..."

Link bowed his head in sadness. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. If we hadn't been so foolish and opened the Door of Time, we wouldn't be in this mess, and you wouldn't have had to wait..."

I looked at him, how his lips were curled downwards in a frown.

"Don't do that..."

"Do what?" He asked.

"Frown like that."

"Why not? I'm not allowed to sulk?"

I furrowed my brows. "I did enough sulking for the both of us. Besides, it just doesn't fit."

"What do you mean?"

"You've got a face that's meant to look happy and joyful. The frown doesn't suit you very well."

Link shrugged and then smirked. "Better?"

"Very."

Link reached over and grabbed my hand, massaging it with his thumb like he had always done when we were children. He then looked up at me.

"What happened? While I was gone?"

I sighed and told him. Told him about how all the temples started pouring out evil creatures, how it started with the forest temple and worked its way up. How Kakariko was attacked by an invisible monster only a couple of years back, how the village was almost destroyed. I told him everything he had missed.

Link didn't say anything for a long time. He then sighed.

"How did you know I was going to disappear?"

I frowned. "I don't know. It's like the thought crossed my mind and when the light appeared, I knew it was true."

He was quiet for a good few moments. I could practically hear the gears in is head turning as he thought. "Have you ever thought that, maybe, you're not...normal?" He finally asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... I was told to find someone, aside from the Sages. And I keep getting the strangest feeling that it's you... And then I tell myself it's not possible, because of how bad you were hurt inside of the cavern. If you were her, you wouldn't have gotten hurt...right?"

I stared at him for a long moment. "Are you...alright? What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about someone I have to awaken. Someone who doesn't know her true identity. Without her, Ganondorf will never be defeated..."

"What's she supposed to be? And why do you think it's me?"

"It's just a thought, like I said. And she's supposed to be a...'sleeping goddess'."

"Sleeping...goddess...?"

"Yes. A girl who doesn't know her true identity."

For just a moment, I pictured myself as this 'sleeping goddess'. It would mean that I have a place...a purpose. But then Link's doubts struck true to me, for if I was a goddess, how was it that I was able to be hurt? Weren't goddesses invincible?

"Yeah, there's no way..." I mumbled.

Link nodded, but that look of deep concentration still painted his face.

"So, what did you do? Up in the Sacred Realm? Did they raise you in seclusion and teach you? Or what?"

Link shook his head. "Nothing like that."

"Then, what did you do up there?"

"Slept, I guess."

I stared for a good long time, thinking.

"So, you just...slept."

He nodded again. "I remember pulling this sword from the pedestal," he gestured toward his back, where I saw the Master Sword sitting against it peacefully. "And then someone was calling for me to wake up. And now...I'm here."

"So...then the last memories you have were from seven years ago?"

"Yep."

"So...you are really only nine?"

Link frowned. "I guess. I..._feel_ like I'm sixteen...but I don't remember getting that way..."

"Strange...it's kinda like how I was for so long...but..."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing." Just how I had been an old woman stuck in the mind and body of a twelve year old. Now, I was an old woman stuck in the body and mind of a _nineteen_ year old...more mature, but still young at heart...and in the mind. "So, what is it you're supposed to do, now?"

"Sheik told me to go to the forest temple and awaken the Sage there. But he said that I can't even get _in_ there right now..."

"Why not?"

"Said I wasn't equipped for it."

I pondered for a moment. I remembered what the entrance to the forest temple had been like. The stairs had been completely gone, and the only way up was...

I smiled. "I might know what you need." I stood up, looking up at the now dark sky as I did. "But, it will be there in the morning. For now, I tire."

"Oh, okay."

I looked down at him, since he was still sitting. "You not tired?"

"I've been asleep for the last seven years... So no, not really."

"Oh. Well, you can come back with me, to my house. You can sit by the fire and I'll sleep, if you want."

Link stood up and nodded. "Okay."

He followed me back to my house. It was small, only one room. It had a bed in the corner, a fireplace directly across the room from it, with a pot hanging over it for food preparation. There was also a small dresser for my clothes on the other side of the room, a sink, and a corner for the chamberpot.

"Cozy," Link said as he looked around.

"It's small, but it's mine."

"How did you manage to get it?"

I shrugged. "One day the owner came and said it was a gift for a 'sorrowful and beautiful woman'. Had it ever since." I gestured to a comfortable armchair next to the fire. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll light the fire and then lay down."

"Alright."

Link took off his sheath with the Master Sword inside, and his shield as well, which I recognized as the one we had taken in the graveyard. He set them down next to the fire and relaxed in the chair.

It took a moment for the flames to burn hot enough to stay, but once it was going I squeezed Link's hand and walked over to my bed. I crawled in, pulling back the sheets and covering myself in them, reveling in the softness and warmth.

After a few moments, I heard the unmistakable sound of a moving chair. I opened my eyes to see Link now sitting next to me, in the armchair. He smirked at me when he noticed I was awake.

"Sorry, but you're more interesting to watch than the fire."

I smiled and closed my eyes.

"Link?" I said after a few more minutes of silence.

"Yes?"

"... I'm glad you're back."

He chuckled, and the sound was oddly pleasant... "Me too." I felt a rush of wind as he leaned forward and kissed my forehead, and I felt my heart patter in my throat. "Good night."

"Good night."

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><p>I awoke sometime later. For a moment, I kept my eyes closed, wondering if it had all been a dream. I was going to open my eyes and he wouldn't be there...<p>

But then I realized I felt someone's hand around mine. I opened my eyes, surprised to see that Link was sound asleep in the chair. As I looked at him, it was like seeing him for the first time all over again, appearing out of the crowd like some illusion. For a brief moment, I had though it had all been a dream, until he didn't go away...until I had run into him, and he was solid and very there.

I smiled, lightly squeezing his hand. He didn't stir and just slept on...

He is here! I thought to myself. After seven years...he's finally here!

I finally closed my eyes, those thoughts running through my head like a special chant, meant only for me.

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><p><strong>It's a shorter chapter, yes, but I like it all the same :)<strong>


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry I haven't been updating as fast as usual, but I've had an urge the last two days to draw some poses from chapter 18. I've got a new one up, called Gentle Touch, on my deviantart site, so follow the link in my profile to see it if you like (I'll also add it as my profile pic here, so you can see it there, too). The other two for this story are Sad Maple and Long Awaited Embrace, just incase you missed the note last time :D**

**Enjoy**

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><p>He was awake long before she was. The windows were still dark, so he knew that the sun hadn't quite risen yet. He shifted in the chair, sitting up straighter. He then looked down at her and smiled.<p>

All traces of the sadness he had seen on her face earlier that day were gone. She was peaceful, smiling even. Her hand was also still tightly around his. He pulled it lightly up to his face, marveling the softness of her skin, how her veins showed through because of how delicate it was...

He watched her until the sun started to peek through the windows, and her eyes fluttered open. She then smiled at him and stretched, letting out a long yawn.

"G - good morning," she said.

"Good morning."

"Want some breakfast?"

"Sure!"

She stood up and he moved the chair back next to the fire. She handed him a large bowl of potato soup, and the smell made his mouth water.

"I made this last night," she said as he handed it to him, along with a hunk of bread for dipping. "I was planning on eating this for dinner last night, but then Daisy invited me over and I couldn't refuse."

It was delicious!

They ate in relative silence, although it was not awkward and instead pleasant. Maple then took their bowls and washed them, while Link positioned his sword and shield on his back. They then washed up and left.

As they walked toward the back of the village, someone called Maple's name.

"I'll be right back, okay?" She said. He nodded and then she left, flashing him a smile.

After she was out of earshot, Link heard giggles that sounded like ringing bells.

"What is it, Navi?" Link asked as she shot out from under his hat.

"Oh, nothing," she said, giggling again.

"Like I believe that."

She hovered for a moment, and Link watched Maple talking to a man, off in the distance. She looked back at him and smiled.

Navi giggled again.

"What?" Link finally yelled.

"_You're_ in love!"

He started. "W - what? I'm not! What makes you say that?"

"The way you can't stop looking at her."

Link huffed. "She's beautiful, that's obvious. I'm not the only one looking..."

Link watched as the man Maple was talking to tried to grab her hand. She discreetly moved it behind her back.

"Yes, she is...but either way you love her..."

"How can I love her? Last time I saw her, I just thought she was pretty and nice... A crush."

Navi hovered down so she was floating directly in front of him. He reached out and cradled her in his hands.

"Maybe, while you were sleeping, you dreamed about her and don't remember. You fell in love with her, waiting to see her for those seven years, just like she fell in love with you while waiting."

Link felt his cheeks flush. "She...loves me?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

At that moment, Maple lightly bowed to the man and started walking toward them. Navi sighed and flew back into his hat. Maple smiled at him and held out her hand when she was directly in front of him. He took it, feeling the familiarity, remembering the first time he had held her hand, when they entered the castle town. Since then it was something they just did...and he didn't mind one bit.

"I'll show you where to get the item you need."

She led him in the direction of the graveyard. Once they were there, she led him to the left, toward a headstone where a fresh bouquet of flowers rested on the ground. He looked down at the letters on the tombstone, sad that in the seven years he had been sealed up in the Sacred Realm, they hadn't taught him to read...

"It's Dampe."

"Dampe?" He asked.

"Yes. The old grave keeper. He died seven years ago."

"Okay..."

Maple sighed and knelt down next to it, obviously reading the words on the stone. "He was...really kind, despite his deformities."

"How do you know?"

"When you...disappeared, I came here, crying to myself in a corner for I don't even remember how long..." Link followed her gaze to a corner not far from them, where the steep sides of the mountains met in a steep slope. He could picture her, sitting there, crying. His heart fell. "Many of the people in the village had seen me run in here, and followed me a few minutes later. I...don't remember it happening, but apparently when they all came into the graveyard, Dampe started yelling at them to leave me be, that I had every right to grieve if I wanted... I didn't even know it had happened, until I left a few days later and Daisy told me." She laughed. "I didn't even realize that the bread and water I kept finding next to me was from him, until then. Everyday it was there, and everyday I ignored it. It would be gone by nightfall...

"I went back after that, and heard Dampe complaining that no one appreciated the beauty of flowers, as he spread them over the graves. I then came back everyday, gave him flowers to put on the graves... He died a month later..."

"I'm...sorry."

"It's okay. He was really old and was ready to pass on. But, before he did, he asked that I bury him with an item he had found not long before." She looked back up at him. "That's the item we're going to get."

"So we're going...in there?"

"Yes."

"Okay..." The thought of digging around in someone's grave grossed him out slightly.

"But..."

"But?"

She sighed. "If his spirit is still there, he might ask you to play a game before you can have it."

"What kind of game?"

She shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

She walked behind the headstone and pulled it back easily. As she did, Link admired her muscles as they worked...

When the headstone was out of the way, Link looked down into the hole with apprehension. Maple grabbed his hand and squeezed, and then she dropped. Link sighed, took a deep breath, and jumped in behind her.

They were in a cavernous room, lit by four torches. Link looked up ahead to see that there was a long corridor, and in front of the corridor was someone hovering above the ground...

He was...ugly, to put it best. He now knew what Maple had meant by his...deformities. His bottom jaw jutted out at a weird angle, and his back was extremely hunched. Over his head, however, was a halo.

"Maple!" The man said after they landed. "It's so good to see you!"

"Hello, Dampe! This is my friend, Link! He was wondering if he could have that shrinking and stretching treasure you have."

Dampe looked at Link and then laughed. "Heh heh heh, young man! Are you fast on your feet?"

"I...suppose," he answered back. "But, what about you?"

"I may not look like it, but I'm confident in my speed!"

"What's this about?"

"Let's have a race! Follow me if you dare!"

"W - what?"

But the old grave keeper was gone, speeding down the corridor much faster than Link expected from someone of his age.

"Come on!" Maple yelled from beside him. He caught a quick glimpse of her face, smile wide, before she, too, was gone.

Link ran, feeling his long legs stretch out underneath him. Maple wasn't that far ahead, and Dampe turned a corner. He forced himself to go faster, and was surprised when he found himself side-by-side with Maple.

She turned to him and laughed, turning the corner as she did. Link caught a glimpse of Dampe turning again, up ahead. Maple picked up her pace and he let her, watching her legs move under her with such grace and power that his heart pattered restlessly.

They ran from room to room, corridor to corridor. Link wondered to himself as he ran who had built this place, and under a graveyard of all places... It was like a giant maze, and some corridors he passed ended abruptly. But Maple seemed to know where Dampe had turned, even if they had missed seeing him turn. Never once did they stray off the path.

Maple suddenly leapt up ahead, her legs carrying her far into the air, her jump and landing much more graceful than his was. Then, they were in a large, circular room, where the path stuck to the outside walls, curving around to the right. They burst through an open door, and as they did, Dampe came to rest in front of them. Link knelt over, breathing deeply.

What a workout!

"Hehehe, young man, Maple... You were very quick to be able to keep up with me! Hehehe!" Dampe said once Link caught his breath. "As a reward, I'm going to give you my treasure. It's called the Hookshot!"

"A Hookshot?" Link asked. "What's that?"

"Its spring-loaded chain will pull you to any spot where its hook sticks. Doesn't that sound cool? I'm sure it will help you!"

Link looked to his right to see a large treasure chest standing there. He walked over, pulling up the lid, and there it was...a device unlike any he had ever seen before!

"I live here now," Dampe continued, "so come back again sometime. I'll give you something cool!"

"Thanks, Dampe!" Maple said. Link nodded his head in thanks.

"One more thing! Be careful on your way back! Heheheh..." He then twirled on the spot, and was gone.

Link put away the Hookshot and then looked at Maple. "I don't know how I'm going to carry all this stuff... If we keep going on like this, I'm going to have to ask you to carry stuff..."

Maple laughed. "Let me see your pack."

Link handed it over to her, surprised at how heavy it was with all his old equipment in it. She took it and then turned her back to him. He waited patiently, and when she turned around and handed it back, he was confused.

"What...did you do?"

"I put a spell on it that lets it carry an infinite amount of things, while staying light at the same time."

He noticed that it was, indeed, a little lighter. "You sure you didn't just take something?" He mocked.

She laughed. "Let's go."

Link held out his hand. She grabbed it and they walked to the back of the room they were in. He was surprised when he suddenly felt shy, Navi's words running through his head.

Did he love her? Did _she_ love him? The thought made his cheeks warm.

"What're you thinking about?" Maple asked him.

"Nothing."

"Sure..." She dragged out the word.

Suddenly, the corridor ended and a stone slab locked them in. The only thing in the room was a large stone block.

They stood in silence for a few moments, and Navi popped out of his hat. She floated around for a few seconds, and then gasped.

"Isn't that the symbol that was on the - "

"Door of Time!" Maple continued.

"Yeah! Exactly!"

"I can't believe I recognized it!" Maple exclaimed.

"Why not?" Link asked. "It was only..." His voice faded, remembering that it _hadn't_ been only yesterday when they opened the door...at least not to Maple. "Oh. Right."

Navi turned to him. "Don't worry. I know how you feel..." She then sighed and disappeared back into his hat. Maple squeezed his hand.

Link reached into his pack and easily found the Ocarina. He pulled it out and played the song the Princess had taught him, apparently long ago...

When the song was finished, the block disappeared in a flash of light, revealing a cavern ahead of them. Link took Maple's hand again and they walked. As they walked, the corridor suddenly shot upward, and ahead of them was a light. Maple slowed.

"What's that?" She asked.

He heard it, too. Music, up ahead it seemed.

"I don't know."

"It almost sounds like..."

When they emerged, they found they were on a platform, overlooking a strange wooden contraption that was spinning slowly. It was connected to the ceiling by large, wooden pole.

"We're in the windmill!" Maple whispered.

"Where's the music coming from, them?" She pointed to the other side, where a man was standing there, his face screwed up in frustration, playing a music box by cranking a small lever. "Oh. I see." Maple pulled on his hand, and they fell the short distance to the ground. The man in the corner didn't seem to notice them.

They walked out into the day, the sun still bright. Link felt as if they had been inside that maze for hours, but apparently it had only been a few minutes.

"You already have everything we need?" Link asked as he turned to Maple. He was surprised to already find her staring, and again, Navi's words flooded into his mind.

"Yes."

"Okay, then let's go."

As they walked through the village, Link couldn't help but notice how many men turned to look at Maple. Everyone of them looked at him with envy, as if they wished they were the ones holding her hand.

It creeped him out slightly.

"You're...popular..." He finally said, now annoyed at how they looked at her.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." She blushed. "Since I've...filled out, for lack of a better term, I've been pretty popular." She then looked up and smiled at him. "You were the first to tell me I was pretty, though."

He smiled back. "You've always been pretty, even when your face was cut open and your back was slashed...even through the pain on your face..." He flinched, remembering how deep those cuts had been.

She laughed.

They walked, and the entire time Maple talked about the things she did while he was gone. It was all uneventful, he noticed. He thought about how strange that was. She had never been one to hide, at least not to him. Even now, as she spoke, she used her hands and arms wildly to describe emotions and objects she'd seen. She reveled in the fact that they were on the trail to save the world once again. Even when strange creatures came out of nowhere, she would smile and laugh after he brought it down with his blade.

How had she even survived like she did?

He had to remind himself that, maybe, she hadn't in some ways.

The conversation lasted until the forest was in view. Maple then went really quiet, squeezing his hand as if she could sense the multiple emotions running through him. He was home, he couldn't help thinking. But, even as he thought it, he knew it wasn't quite true. He had known that this wasn't his home the moment he played the ocarina with Saria. It would never be the same...

Not if Maple wasn't there.

"Listen," she said, stopping him before they breached the boundary. "The forest is...different. Don't expect it to be exactly like you remember it, okay?"

"What happened?" He asked, looking down at her and noticing how the moon shone brightly off her eyes. He watched as sadness covered them like a veil.

"You'll see."


	21. Chapter 21

**Just want to take a moment to thank you guys again for the awesome reviews :) I've never had so many reviews so fast, and every time I get one it makes my heart soar :D This story offically has more reviews than TFG! Yeahhhh (Regular Show Style)! Not that I'm not proud of my other story... Just think it needs some work ;)**

**So, I always kinda wondered why Link didn't go into a mad rage when he returned to the forest to find it overrun with monsters... So, here it is :)**

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><p>For just a moment, I wondered if this was a good idea. I knew what the forest looked like now. I had tried to visit a few years back, and even then it hadn't been good. What would Link say? How would he react?<p>

Before I could really think it through, however, he pulled me into the boundaries using the hand that was now tight around mine. I could see the confusion in his eyes, the determination. I could also feel a small amount of anger radiating from him, building, waiting on the surface for something to set it off.

It took us awhile to reach the depths of the forest that we were seeking, and to me it seemed an eternity, mainly because I could feel so many emotions rolling off of them like he was screaming them at me.

We crossed the bridge, and once we entered the section of the forest where the children dwelled, it was like a switch was flipped from inside of him. At first, he froze, watching the monsters that now paced and weaved between the different tree houses like they owned the place, a look of confusion and shock on his face.

Then there was an explosion inside of him.

He screamed, pulling out his blade and charging the nearest monster, felling it in only one blow. He charged the next one, blood flying everywhere when his blade cut it down.

I watched, frozen. I wasn't even able to twirl my hands, instead holding them lamely at my sides. I watched until I could no longer see him, and then I listened as his cries of anger grew farther and farther...

Even after it grew quiet, I just stood there, waiting. He didn't appear for a long time, and I had a feeling that he was just standing where ever he was, looking down at the slain monsters with a strange sense of grief. When he finally appeared, his dark frame barely visible through the trees, I moved, my hands springing together to twirl.

He stopped when he was in front of me, looking down at his feet, his sword hanging loosely from one hand and his shield from the other. I just stared at the top of his head, waiting...

I jumped when his shield and sword fell to the ground, clanging loudly. He then fell to his knees, never once looking up at me. I knelt down in front of him, feeling the grief and guilt that he was suffering from.

"Link..." I whispered. He finally looked up, and I was surprised to see that his face was blank.

"It's my fault..."

"What is?"

"This... Everything. If I hadn't opened that door, Ganondorf would have never gotten the Triforce..."

His eyes started to shine, and I reached over and placed a hand on his cheek.

"It's _Ganondorf's_ fault, not yours."

"But, if I hadn't - "

I placed both my hands on his face, forcing him to keep his head up since I had seen him about to retreat again. "_You_ didn't do anything. Princess Zelda and I were as much apart of this as you. If you blame yourself, then you're blaming her and me. Do you blame us?"

Navi appeared at that moment, hovering over us. "Yeah, Link. It's not your fault..."

He looked at me for a long moment, and then his brows knit together. "I don't blame you," he said gently.

I smiled. "Okay. So let's find somewhere to rest for the night, and we'll go to the temple in the morning, okay?"

He sighed. "Okay."

As we stood up, some of the forest children had ventured out of their houses, clearly having heard Link's slaughter.

"Who're you, mister, mistress?" One of the young boys asked.

Before we could answer, another boy pointed at Link. "Hey! You wear Kokiri clothes and have a fairy! Why does an adult have a fairy? You're not one of us!"

Link was stunned. "But, it's me - "

I squeezed his hand and gave him a look that said be quiet. When he did, I knelt down to the young boy.

"The fairy is with us to help us get through the woods to help someone. Did anyone go deep into the woods and not come back?" I asked.

The boy thought for a moment, looking at me as if he wasn't quite sure he could trust me. He then nodded. "Yep. Saria and Mido both left awhile ago, and haven't come back. You're here to help them?"

"Yes, we are."

The boy then pointed to a cliff that I could barely make out in the distance. "The entrance to the Lost Woods are over there. That's where they went."

"Thanks." I patted the boys cheek and then stood up. The Kokiri then backed away until they were only dark shapes, watching us. I made Link sit still until they disappeared completely, going back to their houses to hide.

"They...haven't changed."

I turned to Link, seeing his face full of confusion. "What?"

"The Kokiri...haven't changed. They didn't grow up..."

"The Kokiri don't...grow up. They stay children forever."

"Then...why did I...?" He looked down at me, his eyes wide.

I squeezed his hand. "Let's find somewhere to rest, okay?"

He nodded and led me deeper into the forest, toward where the Great Deku Tree's body still lay. But, before we got there, Link suddenly drug me to the right. I looked up to see that we were walking toward a large tree house, which I recognized as the house Link had pointed out as his own when we were children.

"You can go first," he said, when we stopped in front of the ladder that led up.

I pointed to my dress. "Um...you can go first..."

It took him a moment, but then he nodded and started to climb.

Before I followed, however, I looked down, realizing that someone had doodled on one of the protruding roots of his house. It was a young boy, holding a shield and sword, defending himself from a beast that looked a lot like the Dodongo Link had defeated seven years before...

"I drew that," Link said, suddenly at my side again, "a few days before Navi came to me."

"If it was before Navi came, why is there a fairy in the picture?"

He shrugged. "It was a dream I had had, and in it I had a fairy. I liked the image so much that I drew it down here."

I stared down at the drawing and wondered: did Link have prophetic dreams, much like Princess Zelda? Had he seen himself fighting monsters with a fairy at his side? Hylians were known for their prophetic tendencies, so was he one of them? But, if it were true, had he dreamed about me?

"Did you ever have dreams, about me?"

I turned to him to see that his face was red. He stared at me for a long moment. "Once, two days before we met."

"What did you see?"

"It's...hard to explain..."

"Try?"

He thought for a moment. "You were...older...well, as old as you are now...and you were..._shining_, from within, so bright that I couldn't quite see your face..."

"Anything else?"

The red in his cheeks darkened, but he shook his head. "No. Now, let's go up."

I followed him up the ladder, where the curtain covering the door were pulled back so we could see inside. As we walked inside, I saw that the small room looked like it hadn't been touched since Link had left seven years ago. The sheets on the bed were still ruffled and bunched at the bottom, as if he had just woken up. Homemade, wooden toys were strewn across the floor. The sink still had water in it, but it was murky from sitting there for so long. Link instantly went to the sink and pulled the basin free, dumping it out through the window above the bed.

"Sorry it's a mess," he said as he walked around the room, picking up the toys and putting them in a small box in the corner of the room. "I hadn't exactly expected that I wouldn't be coming back for awhile..."

"It's okay. It's cute." I noticed that the last few things he picked up from the floor were a toy sword and shield. "Hey, let me see those!" He gave me a confused look, but he did and then knelt down beside the small wooden stump in the middle of the floor, which still had plates on it as if he had just gotten done cleaning his plates for the next meal.

I held the shield on my arm and swung around the sword. "How do I look?" I asked.

He smiled at me. "Cute."

I smiled and then put the toys in the box where he had put the others. I then joined him on the floor and handed him some bread and water from my pouch. We ate in silence, and after we were done Link told me to take the bed. I knew he was just being polite, but I also noticed that he was now too tall for the bed, and I was small enough that the bed was comfortable if I curled my legs up slightly. Link set out an extra set of blankets on the floor, next to the bed.

I dropped my hand over the edge after he settled, and as if he had just been laying there watching, he reached up and took it.

I fell asleep with his hand warm around mine.

* * *

><p>The next morning, it took me a few minutes to wake him. Navi had to eventually come out of his hat and float over his face so her light shone brightly across it. His eyes finally fluttered open and he yawned.<p>

"Finally," I muttered.

He smiled. "Sorry. I guess the sounds of the forest put me in a deep sleep."

"Either way we should head out."

"Okay."

Link led me to the cliff that the children had pointed to earlier, his hand guiding me up the steep slope. The trees thinned slightly, and then suddenly I couldn't see through them. His hand tightened around mine as we crossed into the forest.

It happened like before, Link seeming to know the way, Navi floating above our heads to light our path. We weaved through the trees, Link sometimes suddenly stopping and turning around, or taking a corner. Not once did we come upon any enemies: either Link's slaughter had been extremely thorough, or even _they_ avoided this part of the wood.

Link suddenly stopped, and up ahead I saw a young boy with bright red hair standing in the way. I recognized him as the boy who had blamed Link for the death of the Great Deku Tree.

"What are you?" He asked, holding out a hand when we tried to pass him. "Though you wear Kokirish clothing, you can't fool me!"

"Let us through," I asked, kindly, but with a hit of authority behind it. He just glared at me.

"I promised Saria I would never let anybody go through here, so go away!"

Link pulled me away from him.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"I don't know. Mido's always been really stubborn... I don't know how to convince him that we need to get pass..."

"Can we go around?"

"No, he's blocking the only way through..."

I sighed. "Well, maybe you need to show him that you're friends with Saria or something?"

"Maybe... But, how?"

"What about that song she taught you?"

His eyes widened. "Yes, that might work."

Link walked closer to him, but without being too obvious. He then sat down, pulling me down with him.

"Hold my arm," he said as he reached into his pouch. I nodded and did as he asked.

He played the Ocarina beautifully, the tune floating around us. He also was great at just making it seem like we were sitting down to take a brief break. But, almost the exact moment that Link started playing, Mido looked over at us with a curious look on his face.

"That melody?" He exclaimed, when the song was over. "Saria plays that song all the time! You... Do you know Saria?"

"Yes, we know her," Link said, standing up.

"That song... Saria taught that song only to her friends..." Mido sighed. "Okay... I trust you. When I see you... I don't know why, but I remember...him..." Mido then motioned for us to pass.

"I...am him," I heard Link mutter when Mido was long behind us.

The trees suddenly thinned and then we were in the Sacred Forest Meadow. As we walked in, Navi flew in front of us.

"From here on, we'll be going through some narrow passages! If you take it slow, maybe you can sneak up on some enemies."

"Do you sense enemies ahead?" Link asked.

"I do..."

"Alright, then let's go slow..."

Link gently pulled me forward, toward the strange maze-like walls. He then stopped and peaked around the corner.

"There's one, now," he said, pulling me away from the corridor ahead. We then backed up and waited until the creature passed by the small alcove, and I couldn't help but look back, wondering what the creature was.

It was like a giant bulldog, wearing armor, walking on two legs, and carrying a large spear. That is about the only thing I could compare it to.

When the Moblin disappeared around another corner, Link pulled out his Hookshot and jumped in the path of it. Its back was obviously to him, for it didn't cry out when Link appeared. I then heard Link's Hookshot shoot outward, hitting the creature in the back. I heard it scream, and I couldn't help but imagine what that hook did to the creature's flesh...

Link came back and grabbed my hand, and we slowly snuck around the corner.

My heart pounded against my chest, because of the thought that there were creatures patrolling this part of the wood, and at any moment any one of them could sneak up behind us and run us through with a giant spear...

Link always was the first to check around the corner, and a few times, when his head disappeared around the corner, the creature on the other side would scream and run at us. Each time, Link would pull me into a small alcove that ended in a dead end, and he would wait for the creature to follow us around the corner before taking it down with either his sword or Hookshot.

When we finally reached the section of the wood where Saria once sat and played her Ocarina, a giant Moblin blocked our path. This one was holding a giant club instead of a spear. It also wasn't charging at us like the others had: it was standing guard, between us and the stairs. Link carefully pulled out his sword and shield, and he and the monster just stared each other down. The monster had its club in the air, ready to swing...

Link charged, screaming. The creature was fast, however, and swung his club down to the ground with such force that a wave of energy collided with Link, throwing him backwards. I reacted instinctively, reaching my hand out and using my powers to slow his fall. I then turned and nocked an arrow, quick and clean, and shot the creature in the neck. It screamed, dropping his club and reaching up to its wound with its hands. I let fly another arrow and the creature went down.

I instantly ran over to Link, kneeling down beside him. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine... Thanks," he said as he stood up. "Your powers are stronger, huh? I've never seen you do that before..."

"Yep, they are. I can do a lot more, now."

"Really? Like what?"

I paused, and suddenly realized that I could sense someone, up ahead. "I'll have to show you later. Right now we need to head up. Someone is waiting for us."

"Wh - What do you mean?" He asked.

"I can sense them. Let's go."

Link and I walked up the stairs, and when we reached the top, no one was waiting for us. Link walked up to the stump that Saria had been playing the Ocarina on seven years ago. I watched him stare at the stump, and I wondered why I had thought someone was there... Clearly Link had thought it would be Saria.

"She's not here," he whispered.

As I walked up to him, I heard someone jump into the clearing. I turned, seeing that a man with blonde hair and red eyes was standing there. This was the person I had sensed earlier, and his presence was oddly familiar...

He started walking toward us, and as he did, he said, "The flow of time is always cruel... Its speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it... A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days... In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of Forest." He then pulled out a small harp, and started playing a melody.

I watched as they played together, and the tune carried throughout the forest.

When they were done, the man put away his harp and then glanced at me. "I see you've found her: the goddess."

I started. "W - what? ... You must be mistaken. I'm no goddess."

His lifting cheeks told me that he was smiling. He then turned back to Link. "Link... I'll see you again..." He then backed away from us, throwing something on the ground that blinded us, and was gone, leaving Link and I to just stare at each other, the same question rolling through our heads:

Was I really a goddess?


	22. Chapter 22

**Ok, so since the temples are a lot longer than the previous three, I might split the temples into two chapters instead of making one really long one. Not saying that this will be true for every temple, but just warning you ahead of time.**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p>Link watched as the emotions played across Maple's face. She was thinking the same thing he was: was she the goddess he needed to find?<p>

Maple suddenly huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm _not_ a goddess!" She yelled, seemingly to Shiek, who was long gone.

"How're you so sure you're not?" He couldn't help but ask.

She glared at him. "Gods and goddesses are immortal and invincible, and I'm n - " She suddenly went quiet. "Well, I'm not, trust me."

"Either way, let's get up there and find out who the Sage is..." Maple nodded and then walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him as she did. For just a moment, he wondered why, his face hot. But then he remembered that they had to use the Hookshot and therefore she needed to hold onto him...

Link reached into his pack and pulled out the Hookshot. He then aimed carefully, using the laser sight it had, and pulled the trigger.

The hook, connected to a long metal chain, zoomed across the meadow, hitting the fallen tree above the corridor ahead with a dull 'thunk'. But the moment it connected, it started to reel them in, jerking their bodies uncomfortably. Maple squeezed him tighter, and he used his other arm to hold onto her.

The ride ended, and the hook let go of the tree, dropping them down on a high ledge. Despite this, however, Link didn't immediately let go of Maple. He kept his arm around her just a few seconds longer than necessary, before finally pulling away and putting the Hookshot in his pouch. They then walked through the doorway ahead of them together.

The room they emerged into was very similar to the Meadow behind them. The differences were that there was a ceiling, two trees stood on either end of the room, and there was a door straight across from them.

It was quiet, and the quiet was oddly strange. He had expected something to come out and attack the moment they walked through the door, but nothing was there...

Maple suddenly grabbed his arm. "There are creatures in here, hiding. I can feel them."

Link nodded and then stepped forward.

The moment he did, howling filled the room. He watched as two wolves appeared from no where, and he recognized them as the kind that Maple had killed...when she had cried over him having almost died...

He yelled, pulling out his sword and shield with ease. One of the wolves came at him, and he noticed how it didn't stand quite right on its front legs: it was walking as if it normally walked on two legs instead of four.

Link brought the blade down, onto the wolf. He was surprised, however, when it reached up its front paws and caught the blade before it struck, throwing it back. For a moment, Link fell off balance, the force of the wolf's blow throwing his sword over his head. He saw a flash of teeth and claws...

He dodged, barely feeling the wolf's claws tug on his shirt. As he did, he caught a quick glimpse of Maple, whom the other wolf had tried to attack. He was surprised to find her much more nimble than she had been as a child, easily dodging the wolf's claws with a simple leap. She pulled out her bow, shooting an arrow so fast that he wouldn't have known what had happened if it wasn't for the arrow sticking out of the now dead wolf.

Link turned, concentrating on his own wolf, and dodged another attack from it. As it attacked, he noticed that it spun around, exposing its unprotected back...

He leapt into the air, putting all of his weight into his blade. He heard himself roar as the blade connected with the wolf's back. The wolf instantly screamed, grabbing at its back. It let out one last howl, blood splattering the ground, and then it went still.

Link turned around just in time to see Maple pry out her arrow from the wolf corpse at her feet. Link shivered as he watched the body jerk painfully, telling him that maybe the creature wasn't dead, yet. Maple wiped off the arrow and then put it away, slinging the bow across her back. He then realized that this was the same bow she had used before.

It suit her much better now.

As Link walked toward the door ahead of them, Maple stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"There's a chest, up there. On top of the tree," she said, pointing to the tree that was now to his right. He looked up and, indeed, he saw a small chest. He scanned the room, looking for a way up. He finally saw that the wall to his left was completely covered in vines. He nodded and then walked toward them.

He tested them, pulling on them to see if they would carry his weight. He noticed that they were strong, but he wondered if they could hold him. His body was much heavier, now that he was an adult.

He hoisted himself on the wall, holding still just a few feet from the ground, seeing if they would continue to hold. When they didn't snap, he began to crawl up, being careful to find a thick vine to hold before pulling farther up. When he was near the top of the tree, he heard a snap, and suddenly felt himself falling backwards. He heard Maple gasp from the ground below, and suddenly he felt as if he had been shot from a cannon, his body flying up through the air. He landed in the tree, grasping at a few thick branches to stop his sudden escalation. When his arms jerked painfully as he stopped, he looked down at her, surprised to see that her eyes were slightly glowing from the magic she had just used, along with her hands. But, then the light was gone and she was normal.

Link jumped to the other tree, using branches to stop him from going too far. He then maneuvered his way to the chest and opened it to find a giant key inside.

"It's a key!" He yelled down to Maple, who he noticed was now standing below him, a worried look on her face.

"Good! Now come down here before you fall!"

Link chuckled, and then threw himself off of the tree. Her reaction was just as he had expected; her eyes glowed as she slowed his fall, her hands shining from the power that surged through them. After he landed, he turned to her and smirked.

"Shall we continue? Or do you wish to test my abilities farther?" She asked. Despite the bite to her voice, he could hear the sarcasm hidden in it.

"By all means." He bowed to her, holding out his hand to tell her to go ahead. She laughed and he felt a sharp rap on the top of his head. He chuckled anyways and followed.

The door led to a long corridor, overrun with vines. He suddenly got the impression that this temple was wild, completely overtaken by the forest. In front of them, hanging from the ceiling, was a Skulltula.

It brought back many memories, from inside the Great Deku Tree. It had been the one place he had seen them the most, and seeing them reminded him most of the very beginning of his adventure.

It dropped, hovering in front of them. Link pulled out his Hookshot and aimed it, right into its face. The armor did nothing to protect it, and it fell lamely to the floor and curled into a ball before its body disappeared. He put the object away, and then held out his hand to Maple, who took it without hesitation. They then walked to the end of the corridor and opened the door at the end.

The room they walked into was large, with a staircase leading to the different compass points: north, south, east, and west. They were standing in front of the southern door. In front of them, in the very center of the room, were four burning torches, each flame a different color: blue, green, red, and violet. In the middle of the torches was an elevator, sitting in the middle of the floor as if waiting for its next passengers.

As they moved forward, the flames on the torches suddenly disappeared, throwing the room into darkness. Then, just as suddenly, a Poe materialized above each torch, each one unique and wearing garbs the color of the flame they held. The elevator descended, molding into the floor. The Poes then all turned, disappearing through the walls of the room.

"My guess," Maple said, after the Poes were gone, "is that those flames power that elevator, and in order to go down we need to find those Poes and slay them."

Link nodded. "You're always right about these things..." She was. Her hunches and guesses were always very accurate. He then pulled her forward.

Looking around the room, he got a feeling to go north. He did as he felt, walking down the middle of the room, walking over the top of the elevator as he did, and up the stairs on the other end. When he opened the door, he found that he was back in another corridor covered in vines. But, instead of a Skulltula greeting them, it was a strange, winged skull, covered in a blue flame.

Link instantly threw up his shield, stepping in front of Maple, as it saw them and charged. It bounced helplessly off, falling to the floor, the flame gone. Link then pulled out his sword, cutting the skull in half with one blow. When he moved to put away his weapons, Maple stopped him.

"Leave them out, so you're ready. I'll be right behind you, I promise..."

He nodded and held up his shield, feeling Maple right behind him as he walked forward.

When he opened the door at the end, it slammed shut behind them. Almost instantly, two skeleton creatures appeared from the shadows of the room, each armed with a sword and shield of their own. Each was also twice as tall has him.

Almost immediately, Link jumped in front of Maple, making sure that he was between her and them. She shoved him out of the way, however, toward the nearest walking skeleton.

"Go! I'll be fine!"

He lunged, surprised at how fast the creature dodged his blow for its immense size. The sound of rushing wind announced the creature's swing, and he heard himself scream as its sword cut deep into his shoulder. He dodged, holding up his shield, and took a moment to glance at Maple.

She was fighting the second one with grace, dodging and shooting arrows whenever the creature's defenses were down, even for the smallest second.

He concentrated back on his creature, now confident that she could handle herself. The creature swung its sword, and Link dodged it easily, using the opportunity to lunge at it with his sword. His arm shook from the contact, metal on bone. The creature didn't really scream but rather moaned, and it backed away from him, holding its shield up higher.

They circled each other, their shields up, swords ready... Link could hear Maple behind him, her arrows either hitting the creature or bouncing off its shield. More times than not, he heard the first.

Link saw his creature lunge, and he jumped out of the way, his shoulder throbbing from the quick movement. But the creature was fast, seeming to know where he was going to jump, for the moment he was out of the way the creature turned around and slashed him down the back.

Link screamed as pain shot through his entire body. From head to toe, he felt like his body was going to explode from the pain. He heard Maple scream from behind him, and through his pain he heard the sound of breaking bones. He quickly looked, seeing his creature constrict, as if all of its bones were suddenly crushed. He saw Maple standing over it, her eyes and hands glowing. She then turned back to hers and he watched her crush it with her magic.

Maple ran to her, after the two creatures were dead. She knelt next to him, instantly running her hands over his cuts, which were bleeding profusely. He felt that same, strange sensation as if something was running through him, through his wounds. He felt them knit together, a sensation that was almost painful. The pain was then suddenly gone, and it was then that he realized that he was laying on his stomach, his forehead covered in sweat and his body shaking.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice shaking from fear.

He moaned, but overall he was fine. He was just trying to forget the immense pain... "Yes."

She sighed in relief as she touched his cheek. "Good. Scared me for a moment..."

Link stood and noticed that there was now a treasure chest sitting on the other side of the room.

"When did that appear?" He asked.

"After the creatures were dead."

He walked over to it, and in it was yet another key.

"How did you do it?" He asked, as he pocketed it.

"Do what?"

"Crush them like that."

"Magic."

He looked at her with his eyebrow raised. "I got that... But, you're not collapsing or anything..."

She shrugged. "No, I'm not. That's because my smaller body could not handle the amount of magic I performed. _This_ body," she gestured to it, "can do almost anything. I no longer have the restrictions I had before."

"That's..." He paused. It actually kinda scared him. He imagined the kind of things she could now do to anyone that pissed her off... He pictured someone's bones exploding from within... "Kinda...scary."

She laughed. "Just know not to get on my bad-side! I've got a lot of tricks up these sleeves."

He looked at her dress, how it didn't even cover her arms. In fact, it didn't even cover her shoulders: it just wrapped around her neck.

"But... You don't have..."

Maple sighed. "It was a figure of speech."

He smirked. "I know. Now, let's go."

They walked out of the room and back into the corridor, back to the large room with four staircases. Maple instantly walked to the right, and down a short corridor not far from the staircase. At the end was a block just like the one in Dampe's grave, the one he had to play the song to move. He instantly took the hint and pulled out the Ocarina, putting it up to his lips. He then played the tune, a somber one.

Once he was done playing the song the Princess had called the Song of Time, he put away his Ocarina, not surprised that the block was now gone. Now that the block was gone, Link saw that there was a door on the other side of the corridor. Maple and he walked through.

They were outside, in a small courtyard. In front of them was a giant Deku Baba, and behind it was a small pond. To his left was what looked like an old well, to his right a wall covered in vines, at the top of which was a small alcove with a door.

Link pulled out his Hookshot and aimed at the Deku Baba's stem. It instantly ripped the creature from the ground, and it went still. Behind the Deku Baba, however, was one of those strange Octoroks that they had encountered inside of Lord Jabu-Jabu, and it spit out a giant rock at them. He felt a rush of air as Maple threw the rock back at the creature, hitting it so it went down.

After the creatures were dead, Link turned toward the vine wall. He noticed that there were three Skullwalltulas patrolling the wall, and he aimed and shot down the closest two with his Hookshot. The last one, however, was too far for him to reach. He looked back at Maple, who instantly strung her bow and shot down the last one.

"You're good with that bow," he said. "You've always been good with it, but I felt I should say something..."

She smiled at him. "Thanks."

Link started up the wall, being more careful than he had been last time. He made it without incident, and after he was in the alcove he looked down to see Maple start to make the climb. She was much faster than he, climbing it with grace and precision. Once she was at the top, she walked passed him and through the door.

On the other side was a small room, and in it was yet another lone floating skull. Link pulled out his shield and walked toward it until it saw them. This one did the same as the other had, charging them and then bouncing off the metal, the flame gone. Link swung his sword, and after the creature was gone a large chest appeared on the other side of the room.

Inside was the map. He looked down at it, surprised that it was so much bigger than the other maps he had found. It was then that he knew that they were in for a long night.

They walked back out into the courtyard and started climbing down the vines, Link letting go about halfway down. Maple didn't slow him, but the distance didn't cause him pain and instead made his heart thud loudly against his chest from the adrenaline surging through his body. Maple did much the same, landing next to him with a smile on her face.

They made their way back to the center room, and walked to the corridor on the northeast side of the room. Once through the door at the end, they realized that they were back outside, this courtyard mirroring the other, with the well now on the right. Link and Maple worked together to quickly take down the enemies in the area.

"Look," Maple said, pointing up to the wall above them. He looked up to see that there was a strange object hanging from it, like a ring.

"What's that?" He asked.

"It's a Hookshot target! Aim your Hookshot at it, and it'll pull us up onto the ledge!"

Link nodded and then pulled out the Hookshot. Before he took aim, he gripped Maple tightly, his heart suddenly up in his throat. He then took aim and they were soon flying through the air, holding tight to one another. When they landed, he realized that there was a switch on the floor in front of them. He quickly stepped on it.

"The water in the well! It's gone!" Maple yelled.

They nodded to each other, and then jumped down, Maple slowing their fall. They then ran across the courtyard and, sure enough, the water in the well was now gone, revealing a ladder.

Maple went down first, Link not far from her. At the bottom, they realized that the bottom of the well was long, like a corridor, and at the end they could see a light from above.

It was dark and damp and Maple kept a tight hold on his hand. On the other end, which was quite a long distance away, was a small chest, and the light above their heads led to the surface, a wall of vines being the only way up. Link quickly pulled the key out of the chest and they climbed up.

They were back in the other side of the courtyard, where the giant Deku Baba had been.

They went back to the central room, and Link noticed that the east door was locked. He immediately went toward it, thinking to himself that they had three keys, why not use one?

This corridor was a lot like the first, overrun with vines with a Skulltula hanging from the ceiling. Link took it out much the same, with his Hookshot, and they continued through the other door.

Another floating skull greeted them, and Link took it down with ease. He then looked around the room, and realized that it was a least three stories tall, full of tall platforms. To his right, he saw an alcove with a door in it, with no apparent way to get to it. He then looked straight ahead and saw that there was a ladder, leading to a shorter platform.

They climbed up it, Link first, and at the top of the ladder was a dead end, the only way to go was up another ladder, to their right. They climbed again.

They were standing in a strange corridor, and to his right the platform ended, dropping down to the floor below. He went the only way he had left to go: left. The corridor dead-ended ahead, but there was another to his left. He walked down it.

This corridor branched off in different directions, and on the floor, strange yellow arrows were painted, pointing farther up the corridor before turning right.

Navi came out of his hat. "There are arrows painted on the floor!" She exclaimed. Maple appeared at his side, then, and nodded.

"Indeed there are. Wonder what they mean..."

They looked around, and Link was surprised to see that the corridor that branched off to his left was blocked off by a huge block. The arrows were pointing away from it, toward them...

They understood at about the same time, and each of them grabbed a corner of the block, pulling with all their might. The block slowly moved, and the process was long, but it was moving all the same. They pulled until the block was completely out of the corridor, and then they ran around to the other side and pushed. They pushed until they felt the block hit the wall and stop.

Now, the passage ahead was completely blocked off...

"Come on!" Maple said, grabbing his hand and leading him down the now exposed passage. Link saw a ladder to his left, but they passed it, following the corridor as it rounded to the left. Link saw that the platform dropped off again...

The corridor ran around to the left, again, and now they could see the block ahead. They ran to it, pushing all their weight into it. After a minute of pushing, they felt it drop slightly and click into place. Link noticed that the block was now low enough that they could easily climb it.

The two of them ran back down the previous corridor and climbed the now exposed ladder he had seen before. They went down the short corridor before it split, the right side dropping off as well as the left. They turned right, seeing that there was a corridor just before the drop off, and came to another block.

They pushed it, noticing that there were more yellow arrows marking the floor, pointing in the direction they were heading. They pushed until they couldn't push it any farther. They went back down the corridor, realizing that the right side went no where. The left drop off, however, led back to the floor below, where the previous block had been moved.

They dropped down and ran toward the block. He had to leap to get his hands to grip the top, but once he had he pulled himself and then helped Maple as well. They then hopped up onto another ledge.

Down the corridor, they saw the red block they had just moved. They ran to it and pushed, seeing more arrows telling them that they were going the right way. They pushed until the block fell into place, now climbable.

Both of them sat down, exhausted. Those blocks had been very heavy, and now their arms ached and sweat covered their foreheads. Maple threw him the canteen and he took a giant swig.

"Let's take a quick break, and then we'll climb up and continue."


	23. Chapter 23

**Hm... Went and saw _The Lion King 3D_ today (well, yesterday now)...brought back a lot of memories and I still absolutely LOVE that movie!**

**BTW, anyone else kinda creeped out about the whole "Link X Dark Link" thing people got going on? Or am I the only one...?**

* * *

><p>It only took Link a few moments to finish the hunk of bread I had thrown him. Despite the fact that we were both extremely tired, we ate like ravenous animals.<p>

"You know," Link suddenly said, through his mouthful of food, "I don't know why you just don't crush everything like you did those skeleton things back there."

I sighed. I had known that this was going to come up. "I can't."

"Why not?" He said after swallowing and taking another large bite.

"Because, _you're_ the hero, not me."

He didn't press the matter.

After we were done and had a long enough rest (only about ten minutes), Link helped me climb up the giant block we had just moved into place. We had to hop over another ledge and then turned right, around the corner, and at the end was yet another ladder. At the top, I could hear the unmistakable barking sound that those skulls seemed to make, and sure enough, we turned right and the room we emerged into was plagued by two.

Link took down the closest one with ease, while I strung my bow and shot down the last.

The door at the end of the room was locked, and there was another one of those eye switches above it, like the one we had seen inside the Great Deku Tree. Link looked at me, as if asking if I would switch it, but I shook my head. He then shrugged and opened the door with a key.

The corridor on the other side made us gasp, and Navi flew out from under Link's hat in response.

"What's - Oh! This corridor is all twisted!"

Indeed, it was. It was as if someone had taken the door on the other side of the corridor and twisted it, causing the walls to twist as well. The door on the other end, instead of being straight ahead, seemed to be sideways, the floor following it. I instantly grabbed Link's hand. He looked at me, his eyes wide.

"Let's go."

As we walked, we didn't fall onto the ceiling like it had seemed we would. Our feet stayed on the floor, and I suddenly got a strange sense of vertigo, not knowing which way was up or down. I knew Link felt the same, for his hand tightened around mine.

We walked through the door on the other end, and it was as if the vertigo was suddenly gone. But the room ahead looked...odd. I could see that there were ladders hanging from odd places, and a hole in the ground at the bottom of a platform, as if this room could be flipped. In front of us was a single, small platform, and to our right was another platform leading to a door.

Link pulled me and we jumped onto the platform. But the moment we landed, I felt a shadow suddenly cover us...

"Watch out!" Navi yelled. We jumped to the next platform, just as a giant hand fell onto the platform on which we had been standing.

It was grotesque, with skin that was loose and leathery, nails that were black and pointed like claws. And that was it: just a hand about the size of a large dog, big enough to grab a unsuspecting person.

I instantly started shooting it with arrows and Link jumped onto the other platform and swung his sword. The thing screamed, which made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, and it crumpled up as it bled. It then disappeared.

"What _was_ that?" Link asked.

"It was a Wallmaster," Navi answered. "If they manage to get ahold of you they take you and you're never seen again..."

I shivered. "Good thing you warned us about it, then," I mumbled.

"Hey, what's that?" Link suddenly asked.

"What's what?"

"That!"

I followed his finger, noticing that there was a blue and gold treasure chest standing on the wall next to me.

"A chest, it looks like."

"How do we get it?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Let's go."

Link nodded and unlocked the door. On the other side was a room with staircases that led down, turning every floor or so. And above each set of stairs was a blank picture. When we neared the bottom, however, I noticed that the picture in front of us wasn't blank: it depicted one of the Poes that had taken the fire from the main room, the red one. But the moment it saw us, it giggled and vanished.

We ignored her for now, and continued down to the door at the bottom. Next to the door was a torch, exactly like the ones out in the center room.

Once we entered through the door, it locked behind us, and yet again we found ourselves in a circular room. But this time, there was a giant hole in the floor...

As we walked forward, another one of those skeleton creatures appeared, but only one. It ran at us, its shield up, its sword ready. I immediately glanced at Link, who was ready as well. I moved backwards, out of the way, and nocked an arrow, aiming and ready for whenever the creature's defense was down.

Link and the creature moved around the perimeter of the room, avoiding the hole. Their movements were oddly synchronized, their feet moving with each other. When the creature lunged at Link, I let my arrow fly, hitting it while its shield was temporarily down. It stumbled, and Link lunged himself, hitting it with an odd hollow sound. But the creature didn't go down: it kept its defenses up, circling around the room. So I waited, another arrow ready...

It took three more rounds of arrows, each one followed by a lunge from Link, before it went down.

After it went down, a platform fell from the ceiling, plugging up the hole in the floor and bringing with it two more skulls.

"Behind me! Now!" Link yelled, backing up toward me. I did as he said, running over to him and readying an arrow once there. In this position, only one of the creatures attacked, the other falling back and keeping a good distance.

We did much the same, me shooting whenever the thing tried to lunge at Link, and Link stabbing it when it stumbled. Twice, the creature tried to jump over Link to me, knowing that I was the one opening up weak spots with my arrows, but both times Link was faster, jumping into the air and slashing it with his sword so it fell backwards. Link would then come back to me, keeping himself between me and them.

By the time the second went down, we were sweating profusely, and the third one that was hiding in the shadows came at us without hesitation. We worked together to take it down and when it finally fell, Link dropped to his knees and sighed heavily. I leaned against the wall and slid down, breathing just as heavily as Link.

After a few minutes, Link got up and went to the treasure chest that had appeared. Out of it, he pulled a large and beautiful bow, along with a quiver.

"Whoa!" He exclaimed, admiring it. I stood up and joined him at looking at it. He held it awkwardly, and I had a feeling that he had never used a bow before.

"It's beautiful!"

"Can you...teach me, really quick?"

"Sure. Let me help you strap on that quiver, though."

I helped him with his straps, adjusting them to fit perfectly, and my cheeks flushed when I felt the muscles in his chest and stomach through his tunic. I suddenly found myself wondering just what his muscles looked like...

"You okay?" He asked me, clearly not as affected as I. I shook my head, to clear it, and his eyes widened. "What? Did you get hurt?" He exclaimed.

I laughed, realizing he had taken my shaking head as a 'no'. "I'm fine, sorry. Just thinking."

"Well, what are you thinking about so hard that you felt you had to shake your head?"

I smiled, not looking up at him as I tightened the strap, suddenly feeling no real reason to lie. "Just wondering what those muscles of yours look like under that tunic..."

He said nothing, and I peeked a glance up at him as I checked the fit of the quiver. He was looking up at the ceiling, scratching his head, but I didn't miss the fact that his face was redder than a tomato.

"Fits well," I said as I backed away and put my hands on my hips. Link was still speechless and was trying to twirl his hands around the bow in his hand. "Now come here, and I'll help you."

We spent an hour working on his stance, and then I showed him how to sling the bow over his shoulders, so it was in reach yet out of the way. After, we moved on to shooting. I was able to see that his muscles weren't just for show: he was able to draw the bow with ease, even though it was quite large. His aim was also excellent, and after some practice shots we went on our way.

We walked back the way we had come, back through strange twisted hallway. Once on the other side, Link turned and aimed his bow, surprising me at how fast of a learner he was since his stance was now impeccable, and shot the eye switch above the door. We then opened the door back up, surprised to find the corridor now perfectly straight.

"How...odd," Link said, pretty much summing up everything that had run through my head in two words.

We walked back down the hallway to find that the room at the end had also flipped around, the strange treasure chest now on the floor instead of the wall. We instantly dropped down, and Link opened the chest. He pulled from it a very elaborate key, that was bright gold with a large ruby encrusted at the top, two horns poking out on either end. Link pocketed it. I then pointed to the hole in the floor, which I recognized as the doorway through which we had entered the first time. We dropped down into the hole to find that it led to a completely different room.

"This temple is sure strange," I said after we landed in the room below. But the moment we landed, two more of those skull creatures attacked us, but they were simple to destroy. After they were gone, another chest appeared, and inside of it was another, plain key.

We walked through the door and found ourselves on a balcony overlooking the courtyard we had been in earlier. We followed the corridor, and went through a door to our right.

The door locked behind us, and in front of us was another one of those Wallmasters...except that this hand wasn't hanging from the ceiling. It was simply crawling around on the floor.

"Floormaster!" Navi exclaimed, after coming out of Link's hat.

"Do these ones grab us, too?" Link asked.

"No, but they split into different pieces and suck the life from you!"

Link instantly pulled out his sword and I stood back while I readied my bow. As Link approached the hand, it suddenly flew at him, trying to ram him. It bounced off of his shield, and the impact threw Link backwards a few feet. I took the opportunity to shoot it with an arrow. Link then lunged at it.

The moment his sword touched it, it exploded, splitting into three smaller hands. Link quickly destroyed two of them, and the last met my bow.

A chest appeared and Link quickly took the key from inside of it. We then walked out of the room and back out onto the balcony, continuing to the right. We walked through the door at the end.

We were back in the room where we had spent so much time and energy moving blocks. Link and I made our way back to the top of the room, where the eye switch and strange corridor was. Link shot the eye again, re-twisting the corridor, and we walked through, continuing until we were back in the room with the blank paintings and the staircases.

It was as if both of us understood what to do. We walked down the stairs until we saw a painting with the Poe in it up ahead. We then hid, readying our bows. Link then jumped in front of the painting, shooting an arrow so fast that the Poe didn't have time to move. The painting burst into flames.

I heard a laugh and turned, shooting an arrow just as the Poe appeared in one of the last two paintings left. It too burst into flames.

"Only one painting left," Link said as we walked up the stairs. Indeed, when we saw the painting, the Poe inside of it did nothing. Link looked it straight in the eye before shooting it down.

All the paintings gone, the Poe materialized and disappeared through the floor. We followed it, down to the bottom. When we got down to where it was waiting, Link instantly shot it with an arrow, and it disappeared. It wasn't dead, however, for the lantern that it held was still floating there.

We waited, bows ready. When it finally reappeared I shot and it was gone again. This time, instead of waiting for us to shoot, it came at us, swinging its lantern as if it were trying to hit us with it. We easily dodged and turned around, shooting an arrow at the same time, both arrows hitting it. The Poe screamed and disappeared, dropping the lantern. The flame it had stolen then flew over to the torch near the door, and both Link and I understood that this meant that the torch in the main room was now lit as well.

"Three more," he said as he took out the key from the chest that had appeared next to the door.

We went through the room where the remains of the three skeleton creatures still lay, and through the opposite door, finding ourselves in a room exactly like the one before. We used the same strategy as before, Link taking the first shot and me waiting to see which picture the Poe appeared in next. After the paintings were gone, we went back downstairs to find the blue Poe waiting for us. We killed it as well with arrows and a lot of strategy, and the blue flame returned to its rightful place in the torch. A compass was waiting for us in the chest that appeared.

The locked door at the top of this set of staircases led us to yet another strange room that looked as if it could be twisted. We waited and sure enough another Wallmaster dropped to the floor. It was easily slain.

I admired how a set of upside-down stairs ascended across the floor, to a hole that was blocked off. We then climbed the only accessible ladder in the room and found ourselves facing a corridor that looked exactly like the twisted one, except it was straight. Two more floating skulls blocked our way and Link easily took them down. Link then unlocked the door at the end and we entered.

There was a round platform in front of us, and in the middle of it was a lit torch. Another platform spun around the room, around the platform in the middle. To our right was an eye switch, covered in ice.

"I'm guessing we need to figure out how to melt the ice around that switch, using that torch," Link said, after a few moments of observation. I nodded.

Link pulled me onto the moving platform as it passed us. We then stood there for two rotations, and all the while Link thought. As we were getting ready to pass the torch for the third time, Link suddenly drew his bow and waited as the torch came closer. Just as we passed, he shot and the arrow caught fire, melting the ice and flipping the switch at the same time.

"Good job!" I said. He smiled.

We went back down the now twisted corridor, dropping through the hole in the room ahead.

The room we landed in was long, with a checkered floor. I looked up to see that the ceiling looked oddly strange, and I could see weird holes in it where monsters hung. Link and I quickly took a moment to destroy them before getting any closer.

"Watch out, Link!" Navi suddenly yelled, when we walked forward. "The ceiling is falling!"

We looked up in time to see that it was falling. And the strange holes were the only means of getting across the room without getting crushed.

Link and I waited for the ceiling to rise again, and then ran for the nearest hole. The ceiling was fast, falling only moments after rising again, so that we barely made it. Link pointed at a switch on the floor in the brief moment that the ceiling stayed on the ground. I nodded and then we ran the moment the ceiling rose again, heading straight for the switch. Link stepped on it and the door at the end opened.

We made it to the door a couple of minutes later, and found ourselves in a strange room. It was perfectly square, and to our left was a large painting, the green Poe hiding in it. To our right was a locked door on a slightly raised platform, and next to the door was yet another torch. Above our heads, I noticed, were five blocks that looked as if they all depicted different parts of the green Poe. One block, I noticed, didn't fit in with the color scheme...

Link shot the painting, and the moment it disappeared the blocked dropped from the ceiling.

"Arrange them, quickly!" I yelled, running to them and pulling the odd block out of the way. We then worked together, pushing the blocks together so that after they had come together they depicted the green Poe...

The moment the blocks were arranged, the blocks disappeared and in their place was the green Poe. We knew what to do, shooting it with arrows and dodging the lantern it held. After she was gone, her green light flew over to the torch, much like the blue and red flames had.

The now unblocked door led us to another long corridor, covered in vines with a Skulltula waiting for us. Link easily shot it down with his bow and we continued.

We were back in the main room, on the eastern most staircase, which had been inaccessible due to the height of the balcony it was on. And there was a strange noise coming from the middle of the room, like something inhuman crying, or whimpering. We looked over the railing to see that the purple Poe was waiting or us, hunched over the still inanimate elevator. Three of the torches were lit.

Link and I jumped down and approached her. As we neared, she stood straight and faced us, slowly splitting into four. Link and I stood back to back, watching as the four purple Poes slowly surrounded us.

"Only one is real!" I yelled, readying my bow, watching as the Poes all floated into place around us. As they settled into place, all the Poes spun in a circle, but one of them...

"There!" I yelled, shooting it with an arrow. The Poe screamed and they all merged, disappearing. I turned to Link. "The real one spins twice after splitting!"

Link nodded and then we stood ready again as the Poes appeared and surrounded us.

"Got her!" Link yelled as the real one spun to his left. They disappeared.

It seemed to take forever. Minutes passed on, and with each passing minute I felt my fingers tearing from pulling back the string on my bow. I knew Link was suffering just as much, because every time he drew it he moaned in pain. But our efforts finally paid off, and the Poe screamed one last time before she disappeared, returning the purple light to the torch.

We watched as the elevator rose in front of us. Once it had risen, I healed my now bleeding fingers and did the same for Link, who sighed gratefully. We then stepped into the elevator and it descended.

The room we entered was strange: it was octagonal in shape, with two strange stone slabs hanging out into the middle of the room. On one side of the room was a corridor that led to a large door. On the other side, directly across from it, was a corridor that led to a switch, but bars blocked us from getting to either.

I instinctively walked over to one of the slabs and pushed on it. I immediately felt the floor under my feet move slightly. That was when I realized that the slabs weren't connected to the floor: only the ceiling. And the floor apparently spun in whichever direction your feet pushed it.

We worked together, twisting the room to reveal hidden corridors. Each one held something different, three of which were switches that raised bars leading to other switches. It was oddly confusing, but we were able to trip all of the switches so that all that awaited us was the corridor that led to the door.

As we approached it, I realized that the lock on it matched the golden key we had found earlier. Link was silent as he walked over and unlocked the door. Before walking in, he grabbed my hand and squeezed.

We said nothing as we walked in.

* * *

><p><strong>Good thing I split the temple into two chapters, huh? Otherwise, the chapter would have been over 8,000 words long! Haha. Hope you enjoyed (and hope I did a good job with the descriptions...harder than you think describing the rooms you know...)<strong>

**Oh and to Kuro-Ookami4...is shotacon a bad thing? Know what it means, but not sure if it's meant to be bad or good...or neither :/ Dictionary had a lot of different definitions :D**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys! Broke 30 late last night ;) Keep it up! OdnetninAdlez, yes, I do have OoT 3D. Rose, yes, they are the same person, basically. That's what's so weird about it. I mean, I have no issues with gays, but I wouldn't date myself even if my life depended on it! And some of the drawings...makes me want to toss my computer (which is saying something O_o). **

**And to Kuro-Ookami4, I did some research and was really disgusted by the things connected with shota. I really didn't understand what it was until last night. But, I'm glad that you understand that Maple has a child-mindset, even during the adult section of the adventure. So thanks for not completely bashing my OC, lol. **

**I knew when I started this story that someone might be a little disturbed by the idea of Maple and Link together, considering Maple's true age. So, just to clear things up for anyone who may not like where things are going, this is NOT a shotacon story, and Maple is NOT a shota. If you want to know what a shota/shotacon is...it's disturbing, so I won't go into details. Maple isn't preying on young boys sexual fantasies or anything; she may be immortal, but she is young, body and mind. Even in later stories about her, she isn't shota.**

**Wow, that was a long note O_o. Better get on with the story, which you're probably WAY more interested in, lol. And hope everyone understands that Maple isn't a shota... I don't want anyone to think that.**

* * *

><p>The room they walked into was perfectly round and small. It was strange, like the entire room was made to be a stage, or a museum exhibit. The only why to go was up a small set of stairs to their right.<p>

They walked up, now above the door. The round platform they were on was completely surrounded by a velvet rope, hung up on golden, spiked posts. Hanging up on the walls were paintings, one next to the other, and they all depicted the same exact scene: a deserted dirt road winding between trees in the middle of the night. The roads ran straight down the middle of the paintings, disappearing into the horizons.

Nothing happened. Link squeezed Maple's hand, suddenly wanting to get out of that room as fast as he could. But the moment they tried to leave, three golden posts like the others popped up from the ground, blocking the stairs. Maple looked up at Link, her eyes wide, and for a moment he was able to see the brown speck that dotted her blue eye. He then heard a horse sneeze, directly behind them.

They turned, Link and Maple both gasping. Behind them was Ganondorf himself, atop his black steed. They stared at each other for a long moment, then Ganondorf suddenly laughed. He reached up to his face and gripped at his chin, pulling up. Link felt his stomach churn as the thing in front of them pulled off Ganondorf's face, revealing a hideous creature underneath that had no bottom jaw, and whose top teeth were so large that they hung down to its shoulders.

The Phantom kicked its horse and suddenly they floated into the air, hovering just inches above their heads. They then leapt into the picture directly behind Link, a dark portal appearing, and then they were gone, running up the road inside of the painting.

"Get out your bow..." Maple said as he felt her bump into his back. He did as she said and they stood back to back, looking back and forth with their bows strung and ready.

"He's here!" Link said, when he realized that there was something running at them from the painting.

"Here too!" Maple yelled.

"What?"

"One of them isn't real!" Maple yelled and he felt her draw her bow even farther. "Just keep watch!"

They waited, and it didn't take long. Just when the Phantom was ready to burst from the painting in front of Link, Maple suddenly yelled, "IT'S YOURS!"

Link let his arrow fly, just as the Phantom and its horse started to jump from a dark portal that appeared in front of the painting. The arrow hit it, and it groaned and turned back around, disappearing back down the road.

"How did you know?" Link quickly asked.

"Mine turned around."

"Okay."

They waited, slowly circling around each other, their backs still pressed together. They watched for any signs of movement in the paintings...

Link saw a light in the background and turned toward it. He was then surprised to see Maple facing the painting right next to it, another Phantom making its way to the surface. Link glanced at Maple, she glanced at him. They then waited to see whose was the real one.

Maple's turned away again, and Link let another arrow fly. The Phantom responded much the same, moaning and turning around to retreat.

"You notice the real one looks brighter than the other?" Maple asked as they re-situated themselves, back to back again.

"No."

"Well, the real one is brighter than the fake."

Sure enough, when Link found the painting where the Phantom was running from, he noticed that his was...dull. Almost like a shadow. His suspicions were confirmed when it turned around, and he heard Maple's bow twang behind him.

"He's out!" She suddenly yelled. Link turned to find that the Phantom was no longer hiding in the paintings; it had ditched the horse and was now floating above them.

Link and Maple stood side by side, waiting to see what would happen next. The Phantom just hung above them, spinning the staff that it held. It then spun its staff elaborately, light gathering at the end of it. It then thrust its staff forward, and Link realized too late that it was shooting a ball of light like Ganondorf had in front of Hyrule Castle.

Link heard a grunt from Maple, and the ball of light bounced off an invisible shield she had made in front of him. The Phantom groaned but just stared at them, still floating. Link and Maple shared a glance: he hadn't missed how the ball had bounced back. Link quickly put away his bow and pulled out his sword and shield, ready.

The Phantom shot again and Link held up his shield. But the light just disappeared.

Maple shot him a worried glance. Link, however, wasn't discouraged.

When the next ball of light was shot at him, he swung his sword, hoping against all hope that if it didn't work, the ball of light would at least disappear like it had before. He remembered how bad it had hurt when he was a child...

The ball flew away from him, hitting the Phantom full in the chest. It screamed, and then fell to the floor, gripping at where the ball had hit it.

Link ran up to it, slashing with his sword, hearing himself make a great roar as he did. The Phantom hollered and then stood up, floating back up into the air above them.

Again, another ball of light shot from the end of its staff, but Link's swing missed, and suddenly his body was full of pain. He fell to the floor, seizing as the volts of electricity shot through his body. He felt Maple's hand on his shoulder, and suddenly the pain was gone, the electricity pulled out of him. He glanced up at Maple to see that her body was glowing oddly and she was lightly twitching, but she motioned to him that she was fine.

Link quickly stood up, grimacing as he thought of the pain. But he held up his sword, and he noticed that Maple was standing near him, her hands out in front of her, ready to protect him if he missed again.

Link waited, and soon another light flew at him. He was more careful with his timing, swinging just as the ball of light looked to be upon him... But it worked, hitting the Phantom and bringing it to the floor once again. Link lunged, hitting the creature, and it rose again, ready.

It went on for what seemed an eternity. The Phantom casting balls of light, Link swinging, Maple throwing up a shield at the last second in case his aim was off. Whenever he was successful, the Phantom would fall, and Link would slash away. Sometimes the ball of light Link shot toward it would miss altogether, hitting the wall behind it. The Phantom even wised up, hitting the ball back whenever Link sent it flying at him, and it became a contest to see who's reflexes were faster...

Link's entire body ached; it was screaming at him. He was drenched, and even Maple looked exhausted from having to cast spells so fast and frequently. But finally, when he ran forward and slashed the creature, he felt his sword run through it, and it screamed, clawing at itself.

It rose into the air, squirming and clawing. It then suddenly went limp and its body burst into flames.

Laughter suddenly filled the room and Link felt Maple fall to the floor beside him. He knelt next to her to find her breathing raspy and uneven. Then, a voice came from everywhere at once, and Link recognized it from the first syllable.

"Hey kid, you did quite well..." Ganondorf laughed. Link looked around and saw no one with them; just the Phantom that was burning before them. "It looks like you may be gaining some slight skill... But you have defeated only my phantom... When you fight the real me, it won't be so easy!"

Link looked at the Phantom to see that it was now writhing in pain, gripping at its face and screaming in agony. "What a worthless creation that ghost was! I will banish it to the gap between dimensions!" Ganondorf yelled. The Phantom then seemed to be sucked down into a dark portal that had materialized in the middle of the room.

All was silent. The dark portal disappeared, and in its place was a familiar ring of blue light. He looked down at Maple to see that she seemed to have recovered and was trying to stand.

"W - what happened to you?" Link asked as she stood.

"The...evil."

She looked exhausted. He grabbed her and pulled her toward the ring of light, where she finally lost consciousness and collapsed, her weight falling into him. He easily picked her up, and as he did, a strange wall of crystal surrounded them. The light blinded him, he felt himself spinning in endless circles...and suddenly he was gone.

When he was able to see and feel himself again, he realized that Maple was no longer in his hands. He was still inside of the large crystal and he noticed that he was back in the Chamber of Sages. He was facing a large, green medallion on the floor; a pedestal suspended above the glass-water floor. As the crystal dissipated and he landed smoothly on his feet, another ring of blue light appeared over the green medallion. Out of the ring of light rose... Saria!

"S - Saria?" Link exclaimed.

"Thank you..." She said as the light disappeared from around her and she came to rest, so much smaller than him... Much smaller than he remembered. "Because of you, I could awaken as a Sage... I am Saria. The Sage of the Forest Temple..."

Saria sighed, cupping her hands together and holding them to her face. "I always believed that you would come. Because I know you..."

"Saria, I - "

"No... You don't have to explain it to me..."

"But...why?"

"Because it is destiny that you and I can't live in the same world."

Sadness overcame him. He would never see her again, after this... "Then, where will you stay?"

"I will stay here as the Forest Sage and help you... Now, please take this Medallion..."

She held out her hand, and Link took the green Medallion that she held out to him. It was similar to the golden one he had recieved, with a Triforce on one side. The other side, however, had a different design; four wide lines arranged like a fan, that all seemed to be in mid-spin. He couldn't help but notice that this same design was on the green pedestal that Saria was standing on. He looked around the circular platform on which they were standing, and he realized that there were five other pedestals surrounding him; he recognized the one that Rauru had stood on a few days before. He also noticed that he was standing on a pedestal shaped like the Triforce.

Link put the Medallion away. As he put it away, Link realized that there was a bright light, overpowering him again.

_No!_ He thought to himself. He wanted to talk to Saria! They couldn't take him back now!

As he disappeared, he heard a voice: "I will always be...your friend..."

"Me too..." He heard himself say.

When Link came to, he realized that Maple was back in his arms, and the blue light was dropping them in the Great Deku Tree's Meadow, directly in front of the tree that still stood there, gray and motionless.

_Saria..._

When Link was back on his feet, he realized that he was standing on what looked like a small sprout, barely peeking out of the ground. Link bent low, shifting Maple's weight so he could see easier...

The sprout suddenly shot from the ground, and Link felt his body fly backwards. As he hit the ground he was careful to make sure not to land on Maple, who was still out.

What stood in front of him was a small, completely round, tree, with odd protrusions where its arms would have been. Its feet acted as roots, and he realized that this tree had a mouth and eyes...and it was chewing on a long stem.

"Hi there!" The tree said in a voice that was deep, yet high at the same time, "I'm the Deku Tree sprout! Because you and Saria broke the curse on the Forest Temple, I can grow and flourish! Thanks a lot!"

This was the Great Deku Tree? As a _sprout_? Holy -

"Hey, have you seen your old friends?" The sprout asked.

"Y - yes."

"None of them recognized you with your grown-up body, did they?"

"No. Not one. Well, except for Saria..."

_Saria..._

"That's because the Kokiri never grow up! Even after seven years, they're still kids! You must be wondering why only you have grown up!"

"I have been wondering for awhile..."

"Well, as you might have already guessed, you are not a Kokiri! You are actually a Hylian!"

Link had thought that this was the truth since he realized that all of the rest of the Kokiri were unchanged. He had wondered silently to himself for the last few hours if he was even a Kokiri... He knew that the sprout was telling the truth and didn't question it.

"I am happy to finally reveal this secret to you!

"Some time ago, before the King of Hyrule unified this country, there was a fierce war in our world. One day, to escape from the fires of the war, a Hylian mother and her baby boy entered this forbidden forest with the help of a young girl. The mother was gravely injured... Her only choice was to entrust the child to the Deku Tree, the guardian spirit of the forest. The Deku Tree could sense that this was a child of destiny, whose fate would affect the entire world, so he took him into the forest. After the mother passed away, the baby was raised as a Kokiri. And now, finally, the day of destiny has come!

"You are a Hylian, and were always bound to leave this forest. And now... You have learned your own destiny... So you know what you must do..."

"I must save Hyrule." It wasn't a question.

"That's right... You must save the land of Hyrule! Now, Link, break the curses on all of the Temples, and return peace to Hyrule!"

At this point, Maple stirred in his arms. She opened her eyes and blinked, looking around. Her eyes then fell on the sprout and her eyes widened. As Link set her on her feet, the sprout laughed.

"Glad to see you again, Leah."

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger! Don't you love 'em :)<strong>

**Oh, I can't believe I've been so rude! Especially to someone who's such a devoted reader of mine :O Crowlet, are you feeling better yet? Hope you are, being sick never is cool...**

**Feel better soon :)**


	25. Chapter 25

I froze when I heard the Deku sprout mutter my name: my _real_ name. The truth was, my name wasn't Maple. Leah had been the name given to me by my adoptive parents, when I was an infant. I had adopted the alias of Maple years after my curse had been set upon me, as a way to stay hidden.

"I - I think you're mistaken," Link said after a few moments of silence, "This is Maple. You remember her."

"Ah, yes, this is Maple. But Leah, as well."

_Damn you_, I thought to myself. Leave it to the Deku Tree to be honest...even if he knew I wasn't ready for it...

"W - what is he talking about?" Link asked me, turning to look at me with eyes large with confusion.

I ignored him for the moment. "Nice to see you too, Deku Tree. I - I must go, however. Seems as if I have some...explaining to do here..."

The Deku sprout bowed slightly. "Good luck, old friend."

"M - Maple?" Link said, his voice oddly high.

I sighed and walked toward him, grabbing his arm and pulling him back toward the forest. "I'll explain everything."

We stopped when we reached a small pond outside of the meadow. This section of the forest was quiet, and I motioned for Link to sit down. I took off my shoes and dipped then into the cool water.

"So, are you going to explain?" Link asked after a few minutes of silence.

I closed my eyes and sighed. "My name...isn't Maple."

"I figured that much." I didn't miss the hurt and anger in his voice.

"My real name is Leah. Maple is a name I take every ten years or so, so I can hide from curious eyes easier."

Link was quiet for a long moment. I looked over at him to see he was deep in though. "What do you mean...'every ten years or so'?"

I was quiet. My heart was pounding loudly in my chest. I didn't know if I was quite ready to reveal my secret to him, yet. But, whether I was ready or not, it was clear that I couldn't hide it from him anymore.

So I told him...everything. I told him about how I was raised in a small tribe far outside of Hyrule. How, when I turned twelve, I ceased to age. How I was eventually forced to leave my tribe and search for a new home. How I came upon Hyrule and learned about the Royal Family, how I met the Great Deku Tree when he was much smaller and younger, and how I eventually gained the trust of the Royal Family. How they had kept me safe for the last few hundred years... I explained how every ten years or so I would change my name, so as to not draw suspicion from people who might have recognized me.

The only thing I didn't tell him about were the Dark Interlopers... How four light spirits had asked for my help to create a parallel world in which to banish a group of evil-doers...

By the time I was done, the sun had disappeared behind the trees. It was then I realized that we must have been in that temple for a lot longer than we suspected. When we had come out, the sun had been in relatively the same place in the sky, and since we had been there for more than just a few minutes, it meant that we had been there at least twenty-four hours. Now it was dark again, and suddenly I was very tired.

I stood up, Link oddly quiet next to me, his feet still in the water. "I'm going to change, really quick, so I can wash my things. You should do the same."

I changed behind a large tree, into a shirt and pair of shorts. When I came back to where Link was still sitting, I noticed that he hadn't moved at all, clearly still deep in thought. The only difference was that his legs were pulled up to his chest, and his chin was resting on his knees. I suddenly felt scared, looking at him. Did he hate me? Think I was an abomination?

... Would he still love me?

"You should..." I couldn't continue.

Link seemed to snap out of it and looked up at me, his eyes oddly blank. When he saw that my dress was folded over my arm, he nodded. He then stood up and, not even bothering to hide, took off his tunic, the shirt underneath, his hat, and his gloves, leaving on only his pants. He set all his equipment by a nearby tree. For just a moment I stared at his extremely toned chest, my curiosity finally satisfied. But, for some reason, I really didn't care. All I cared about was if he hated me or not...

Link sat back down, scooting closer to the water as he dropped the clothes into the water. I sat down next to him and handed him half of my soap, and he scrubbed at his tunic, saying nothing. I used the other half to scrub the blood and sweat from my dress.

After about five minutes, Link suddenly huffed and slapped his slightly submerged tunic, the sound making me jump.

"Why the _hell_ didn't you just _tell_ me?" He yelled.

I froze, not looking up at him. This was exactly how I had feared he would act...

Suddenly I dropped my dress and dove into the water. It was deep enough that my toes barely skimmed the bottom, so I threw my weight down, so that my bottom touched the floor. I used my magic so that I had no need to breath, and I wrapped my arms around my legs. My hair kept trying to make me surface, since there was so much and all of it floated, so it took quite a bit of effort to stay that way, but I did. I didn't move until I felt the water ripple around me, the water pulsing. I looked up to see Link, just as he grabbed my arm and pulled me to the surface.

"Are you _trying_ to kill yourself?" He exclaimed the moment my head was above the water. I noticed that he stood easily in the water, while I had to tread in order to keep my head above the water properly. Link noticed this at about the same time, for he grabbed my elbow and held me up.

"No..."

"Then what the _hell_ is wrong with you?" His grip tightened on my elbow because of his frustration and I flinched. He quickly loosened his grip and took a deep breath. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, now calmer. I still heard the anger...

My eyes burned. "I... I didn't want you to hate me."

I felt my body heave slightly from a sob that broke through the surface, and I dropped my head backwards, trying to hide my face from him. But his hands were suddenly on either side of my face, pulling it back up so that I was looking at him straight in the eyes. At first his hands were rough, angry. But I knew that my now red eyes gave away my tears (the tears blended with the water on my face), because his grip was suddenly soft, and the anger in his eyes suddenly dimmed.

"I... I could never hate you," he said, softly. "I just don't understand why you felt you couldn't trust me..."

I sobbed again but I closed my eyes, calming myself so my voice wouldn't shake. Link's thumbs caressed my cheeks.

Quite suddenly, Link's lips pressed to mine. My eyes shot open in surprise. My heart jumped up into my throat, my cheeks burned. But then, his timid lips were gone and he was staring at me.

We just stared at each other, his eyes just as shocked as mine. But then, that all to familiar smirk knit its way across his face and his eyes smoldered.

"I could _never_ hate you," he repeated.

The shock wore off and suddenly I was elated! He had kissed me!

I smiled and pulled my face from his hands, pushing myself on top of the water so that I was floating on my back, staring up at the now starry sky. All I could think about was his kiss, how sweet and timid it had been... How it had seemed too short... I found myself reaching up with my hand, touching my lips where they still tingled from his...

I turned slowly in a circle, until I could turn my head and see Link sitting back on the bank, watching me with that ever-present smirk. Even Navi had wandered out of his hat and was resting on the ground next to him.

"What're you thinking about?" He asked when he realized that I was looking at him.

I smiled and looked back up at the sky. "You..."

I heard him chuckle and I felt the water ripple as he slid back into the water. His face appeared above mine and I felt his hand lightly caress the spot between my shoulder-blades. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to shop the shudder that had threatened to shake my body.

"How do you do that?" He asked, his voice soft but clearly curious. "I'm a good swimmer, but I've never seen anyone float like that before..."

I smiled, opening my eyes to look at him. "Practice."

"Can you teach me?" He asked.

"Someday..."

"Why not now?"

I giggled. "I want to clean off; I'm filthy after going through that temple. That, and I'm exhausted. Not good conditions to be in to teach."

Link smirked and the hand that was on my back increased in pressure, pushing me upright. His hand then cupped my cheek. "Then clean up and stop messing around..."

I nodded and then used the soap on the bank to clean my face, arms, and legs, floating in the water the entire time. Link did much the same with his soap, and I tried my best not to sneak peeks over at him and was highly unsuccessful. We then sat next to each other, our clean clothes hanging on a low branch nearby. Link leaned back, his arms behind his head, elbows pointing out on either side. I laid back as well, closing my eyes.

"So, about this 'curse'," Link suddenly asked after a good long moment.

"Yes?"

"It's obviously broken, because you're not twelve anymore..."

"Yes..."

"What broke it?"

I shrugged, looking over at him. "I don't really know..."

He stared up at the sky for a long moment. Then his eyes widened as something hit him (not literally, of course...). "'It's gone'..." He whispered.

"What?"

"That's what you said when we met. 'It's gone'." He looked at me. "It was _me_! Something about _me_ broke the curse, huh?"

I smiled and looked back up at the sky, closing my eyes again. Before I knew it, I was out.

* * *

><p>The next morning, I slowly felt myself coming to. As I did, I realized that my arm was wrapped around something that was breathing and something was crawling through my hair...<p>

I sprang up, horrified with an image of a spider moving around my hair, my hands springing up to my head to yank whatever it was out. I then realized that the thing my arm had been wrapped around was Link, and his arm was frozen in such a way that told me that it hadn't been a spider crawling through my hair...it had been his fingers.

I was horrified all over again when I realized that the hair under my fingers was frizzy and tangled, sticking up every which way; a complete mess.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, and I immediately turned and dunked my head into the pond we had fallen asleep by, letting the water soak my head and hair. I then reached into my pouch and pulled out my brush, brushing through the now tangled mess.

"Aw, I thought it looked cute..."

I froze in mid stroke, suddenly remembering that Link was still laying there. I had completely forgotten. His arm was tucked back behind his head again, instead of frozen above where my head had rested on his chest. I felt my cheeks flush as I went back to taming my wild hair. Once it was done I used my magic to quickly french-braid my hair: I wasn't in the mood to use four hours of the day doing it myself.

Link sat up and stretched and I realized that his chest was still bare, his muscles distracting me as they moved. He then stood up and walked over to where our clothes were hanging, long since dry. He pulled on his shirt and tunic, strapped on his sword and quiver. I took my dress and, while he was preoccupied with donning his equipment, hid behind a tree and changed into my clean dress. By the time I was done, Link was shifting through a bush, yanking at it every once in awhile.

"What're you doing?" I asked.

He stood up and, tucked in a cloth he had found in the pouch I had left by the tree, was a large assortment of berries, along with the bread I had brought with us.

"Getting breakfast!" He smiled, and I noticed that he had seeds in his teeth and his lips were blue: apparently he had eaten a few blueberries already

I laughed, walking over to my pouch and pulling out an extra cloth, getting it wet and using it to wipe his face. His cheeks reddened, but he smiled and held out the cloth now full of delicious looking berries... Link had even managed to find a couple of apples.

We sat and ate, talking and laughing. I was absolutely euphoric; he knew about the real me and didn't care! He still looked at me the same, still kept grabbing my hand at random intervals to stroke it with his thumb. It was as if nothing had happened.

When we were done eating we left the forest, fingers entwined as normal. There was a strange intimacy about it, however, that made both of us blush whenever we locked eyes.

Out in the field, instead of heading back to Kakariko, I led him toward the ranch. Since Talon had moved to the village, I had been worried about Malon and the horses. Now that we had a short moment, I wanted to check on them... Link didn't ask questions and just followed.

By the time we had reached the ranch, the sun was on its decent, and the sky had turned a bright pink. We walked up the trail, the sun getting steadily lower. When the house and barn were in view, I immediately walked into the house, noticing that it was deserted. We then walked into the barn, where Malon was on the floor with a bucket of soapy water and a rag, which she was scrubbing the walls of the stalls with. Link and I just looked at each other and walked back outside.

When we got closer to the corral, I realized that it was fenced off. Standing in front of it was a creepy man, who was extremely lanky with greasy brown hair and bulging eyes.

"Hello there. This here is Lon Lon Ranch," the man said, with an air of superiority. "I am Ingo, the owner of this ranch. I run this place _much_ better than that lazy fool, Talon." He then looked between the two of us. "You want to ride a horse? Ten rupees for ten minutes! Otherwise, get out of here!"

A thought suddenly crossed my mind. Was this man a gambler...?

"We want to ride," I said.

Ingo looked at me. "Do you? That'll be ten rupees, then!"

I pushed Link forward. "Go ahead," I muttered.

Link gave the man ten rupees and we started to walk in.

"Hey!" Ingo yelled. "You can't ride unless you give me some - "

"I'm not riding," I said sternly, cutting him off. "He doesn't know how to ride so I'm going to teach him."

"No going in without paying!" Ingo yelled, spittle flying everywhere, his mustache quivering dangerously, as if it was going to fall off any moment.

I grumbled and handed him fifty rupees. "There! Total of sixty rupees! That gives us one hour!"

Ingo took the money greedily and then turned his back, pocketing the gems with an odd look on his face. "Thank you so much! Heh heh!"

Link was a fast learner, although he had much room for improvement. By the end of the hour, Link understood how to steer the horse and make them run faster.

"Time's up!" Ingo suddenly yelled.

I ran up to him and handed him another ten rupees. "Just a little longer..."

Ingo nodded and then stood next to the gate, watching.

"What's the point of this?" Link asked as he hopped down from the horse he was on. I slapped its rear-end and it neighed and ran off.

"Ingo can't pass up a good wager," I said, a smile spreading across my face. "I bet if you can get on Epona, he'll challenge you to a race. He might bet the horse you're on."

"So, you're trying to win me a horse?" Link asked doubtfully, confused.

"Yes. Now, play that song!"

"What song?"

"That song Malon taught you! The one Epona like so much!"

Link's eyes light up as he pulled out his Ocarina. He played the tune and suddenly a mare, who had been hiding in the far corner of the corral, ran over to us, neighing happily.

"Now get on and strut around Ingo!"

Link did as I said, getting on Epona and taking off. She was definitely much faster than the other horses had been.

After a few minutes, like I had suspected, Ingo approached Link. They were too far away for me to hear what was being said, but from the looks of it, it involved rupees.

Link trotted over to me, still on Epona.

"You were right! He challenged me to a race!"

"Did you agree?"

"Yes! But, he didn't bet Epona. Just some rupees..."

"Well, do it. Trust me."

I watched from inside the corral as they started the race. Ingo put me in charge of the countdown, and when I screamed, "GO!" they took off.

Epona was so fast that it wasn't even a challenge. Link pulled away, running around the fence of the corral, and crossed the line well ahead of Ingo.

They hopped off the horses and Ingo screamed, pulling at his hair. "Sh - shooooot! If the great Ganondorf found out about this humiliation... Hey, you!" He suddenly screamed, pointing a finger at Link. "How about another race! If you win... You can keep...the horse!"

"Alright."

Link and him shook hands.

They were soon back on the horses, me still inside of the corral. As I started to count down, Ingo, in his desperation, took off before I had said so, and Link growled, kicking Epona to make her go.

This race was dirty, Ingo trying to knock Link off of Epona the entire time. But Epona was smart, dodging the man's attempts with ease. Then, as they neared the finish line, neck-to-neck, my heart pounding, Link slapped Epona's rear, sending her forward and over the line first.

"YES!" I screamed, jumping up and down as I opened the gate and ran over to Link, who had jumped down from Epona. I threw my arms around him, squealing, and then someone screamed.

We turned and realized that Ingo had abandoned the horse he had raced with and was now standing next the barn, near the gate.

"What's up with that horse?" He yelled, pulling on his hair. "Is that Epona? How did you tame that wild horse right under my nose?" He was now so furious that he was ranting. "I was going to present that horse to the great Ganondorf... But I bet it on the race and lost! Shooot!"

Ingo suddenly laughed madly, a wild look coming over his face. "Hah ha hah! As I promised, I'll give the horse to you... However... I'll never let you leave this ranch!"

Ingo then suddenly swung closed the large gate, blocking the only way out.

Link looked at me, his eyes wide. "What do we do?" He asked.

"Get on."

Link put his foot in the stirrup and pulled himself up. Once he was up, he lowered his hand and pulled me up behind him.

"See how the ranch is completely surrounded by a large fence?" I asked, pointing to the fence I was talking about while grabbing ahold of his waist.

"Yes."

"Jump it."

"What?" He yelled.

"Just go!" I reached back, slapping Epona, and she reared and took off, straight for the fence.

I could feel the tension building higher in Link as we neared the fence. Both of us knew that the ranch was built on a giant cliff, and jumping from that high up wouldn't be pretty...

Epona suddenly jumped into the air, soaring into the air. The movement jerked us both, and we held tighter, Link to the saddle and I to him. Just when she was about to land, I threw out my hand, casting a spell that slowed the decent...

Epona landed, soft and smooth as ever. She then reared and neighed happily.

Link looked back at me, his eyes wide.

"Congrats!" I said. "You just won yourself a horse!"


	26. Chapter 26

**Thanks for the awesome reviews you guys! Sorry I didn't update yesterday... Didn't get a chance to write until after midnight O_o...**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

><p>Riding a horse was much easier than Link had expected. And it was oddly comfortable, the motion of the horse soothing. He also was reveling in the fact that Maple...or Leah...had her arms tightly wrapped around his waist.<p>

His heart sank as he remembered their conversation the night before. He felt oddly...betrayed. Why hadn't she trusted him with her secret earlier? Given, he knew that if she had told him when they were younger, he wouldn't have believed. But, after hearing it from her now, he knew that she was telling the truth. He had known for a long time now that there was something different about her.

To think, she was hundreds of years old! So old that _she_ couldn't even really tell him! But yet...

He looked over his shoulder at her. She smiled up at him and snuggled up to his back. She didn't look a day over sixteen. Yes, her body was nineteen, but she looked much younger than that. But beautiful at the same time...

He smirked back at her, turning around to concentrate back on the path they were trotting on.

It was now dark, the sun long gone, and he knew that they were still pretty far from Kakariko. Epona was also refusing to go faster than a trot, clearly tired.

Link gently pulled back on the rains, and Epona responded by slowing down to a walk. She then stopped completely.

"What's wrong?" Maple asked him.

"We're stopping."

"Oh."

He felt her hands slip away as she jumped down. Link followed her and then guided Epona over to a tree, where Maple set up a place to tie her up. After she was settled, Link turned around to find that Maple had already set up part of the camp: the bed rolls were set out and some wood had been gathered. He had a feeling that most of it had been hidden in her pouch the entire time, 'cause he had only had his back turned for a minute, maybe two.

The thought made his head spin... The amount of things her small pouch could hold... And it was only the size of a large grapefruit! His could do the same, thanks to her magic, but his was _twice_ the size of hers...

Link readied the fire as Maple pulled out some berries that they had packed earlier. They then sat next to the fire and ate in silence. And while they ate, Link couldn't help but think about their kiss...

He hadn't planned it. Actually, he hadn't really realized that he had kissed her until after he had pulled away. And yet, it had been wonderful...

"What're you thinking about?" Maple suddenly asked him, pulling him from his thoughts.

He smirked. "You. Maybe." He heard her giggle but she didn't say anything else.

When they finished, Link grabbed his bed roll and pulled it close to the fire before crawling inside. Maple did as well, not close to him but not far, either. After a few minutes, he turned around and looked at her.

Sound asleep.

He scooted his roll over closer to hers. When he was settled, her eyes fluttered open. She then smiled and scooted closer as well, wrapping her arm around him. His heart soared.

Complete bliss.

* * *

><p>The sun peaking over the horizon is what woke him. That, and Maple yelling his name.<p>

"Link!" She yelled. He opened his eyes to see her sitting over him, Navi flying around her head.

"Good m - "

"LINK!"

He looked up, the tone of her voice startling him. That's when he realized that there were monsters surrounding them. And not just any monsters.

ReDeads.

His heart stopped.

He stood up, reaching for his sword, which was still on the ground. When his fingers were inches from the hilt, one of them screamed.

It was like ice suddenly flooded his veins. He couldn't move, couldn't breath. He could still see and feel, could hear them slowly walking forward. For just a moment he wondered if this was how he was going to die; paralyzed and eaten alive. It was how he was going to die, how Maple -

Maple!

It was like fire spread through him, melting the ice that had frozen him. His hand closed around the hilt of his sword and he turned and swung, slicing through the ReDead that was so close to him that his arm brushed against it as he swung. As the creature fell, it revealed that one creature had jumped on Maple and was just about to bite at her neck, her eyes wide with fear.

He lunged forward, running his sword through the creature that was on top of her. He turned, spinning his sword around as he did, cutting down more of them.

It was absolute carnage, and by the time they were all dead there was blood everywhere, none of it being theirs. He then turned around, where Maple was still laying on the ground, digging through her pouch. He walked over to her, smirking, and kneeled down.

"You...okay...?" That's when he realized that there was something funny about how she was kneeling over, her face pointed down. She was shaking all over, the fingers that were fumbling with her pouch unable to even untie the string. They were also covered in blood...

She suddenly fell over and he realized that her skin was pale white, her lips blue. His eyes then fell down to her neck, where there was a gaping wound that was oozing so much blood that he was shocked he hadn't noticed earlier.

"Oh no!" Navi whispered.

"MAPLE!" He screamed, instantly reaching down and pressing down on the wound, hoping that the blood would stop. She gestured to her pouch, her fingers shaking so bad now that she could barely point.

"Po - po - tion," she said, her voice gurgling slightly, the sound of it almost sending him into a panic. He quickly grabbed her pouch, which was still tied around her waist, and dumped it upside down. The amount of things that fell out amazed him, and he started throwing them around, looking for anything that looked like a potion to him...

There!

He grabbed a bottle full of a strange red liquid and uncorked the top. He then turned to Maple, whose own hand was holding her neck, and looked at her, puzzled. He had never used a potion before and he wasn't quite sure what to do. Was she supposed to drink it? Or was he supposed to pour it on the wound?

Maple's shaking hand gestured to her mouth, and he noticed that the hand that was holding her neck was drenched in blood. It was oozing out from between her fingers like a fountain of the red potion he now held...

"Make her drink it!" Navi yelled. "Hurry!"

Her head was already tilted back when he leaned forward with the bottle. He noticed that her shaking had suddenly stopped, and her eyes were strangely unfocused. His heart pounded loudly in his stomach as he realized that she was dying, right in front of his eyes.

It took a moment for Maple to swallow the potion, but it eventually went down. He then just stared down at her and talked to her, trying to keep her coherent.

"And remember, that time - Hey, don't close your eyes! Look at me, sweet: look at me!" He said, when her eyes started to flutter closed. "Maple, please! Look at me! Love, please!"

Her eyes fluttered back open, unfocused, but she was there. She was smiling, even if it was small and weak. The hand holding her neck dropped, and for a moment he thought she had died. But he realized that the wound on her neck was slowly healing, her skin returning to a normal color. She breathed a sigh of relief as the potion began to take effect, healing her, even if it was slow.

Link sighed as well, reaching down and placing his arm behind her head, like a pillow. Even Navi's ringing sigh surrounded them as she realized the worst had passed. Link then leaned down, kissing her forehead and nose. All he cared about was that she was alive. He didn't know what he would do if she had died.

Link finally let her sleep after about an hour, after he was sure that she was going to be fine. He didn't dare move her, however, and instead made sure she was as comfortable as possible. He then checked on Epona, who surprisingly was unscathed. Apparently, ReDeads weren't as interested in horses as they were in people. He was even more aware of their surroundings, making sure that no other monsters tried to sneak up on them.

He paced, back and forth, until Maple finally woke up. He hurried to her as she sat up, the movement draining some of the color from her face. But overall she seemed fine, her neck wound almost completely healed, a small pink line being the only thing left. He instantly knelt next to her and she smiled up at him, her smile looking more like it usually did.

"Hello," she said, her voice small and weak.

"I'm glad to see you're doing okay."

"Me too," she giggled. She then tried to stand, but she fell over almost immediately. "How long have we been out here?" She asked, breathing heavily from the pain.

"A few hours." He glanced up at the slowly darkening sky.

"Then we should get going. I need to rest...properly. So I can be in shape for the next temple."

Link didn't answer her.

"What?" She asked, after a few seconds of silence.

"Well...after what happened... I was thinking..."

She glared at him. "You're _not_ leaving me behind." He opened his mouth to answer, but she held up her hand. "I don't have the energy to argue with you right now. All I need is a good rest and some food, okay? And you _won't_ be able to trick me."

He sighed and nodded. "Alright. Then we'd better head out."

Link stood up and gathered everything they needed, packing them away. It took him a lot longer to pack up Maple's pouch then he expected, considering the amount of things that had been dumped out. Maple wasn't able to help and instead waited until he was done. Link then led Epona over to where she was sitting and helped her up, her face going stark white as he did. He then hopped up with her and they rode.

They arrived at Kakariko around eleven that night. Link led Epona into the village, riding straight to Maple's house, where he tied the horse up. He then helped Maple down and they walked in together.

He didn't sleep at all that night. Every time he would close his eyes, he would have a vision of waking up and finding Maple dead in the bed. So he just spent the night pacing, going over to her pantry to find a snack every couple of hours. Then he would sit and eat, and then go back to pacing, peaking at her sleeping face every few seconds just to make sure that she was still alive.

And he also thought more about the things Maple had told him about herself. About how she had met is mother...

He didn't realize that it was morning until Maple sat up, stretching and yawning. He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that she seemed completely fine now. There wasn't even a mark on her neck. His legs refused to be still, however, and he still paced.

"Good morning," she said, her face beaming up at him from on the bed. "How'd you sleep."

"Didn't..." His voice cracked from lack of use and sleep.

She giggled. "I figured. You look _terrible_." She threw her legs over the side of the bed, but continued to sit. "What did you do all night?"

"Worried... And thought about...things."

"What things?"

He paused in his pacing, pulling the chair by the fire up to where she was sitting.

"Well," he mumbled as he sat down. "You met my mother, right?"

She started. "Yes..."

"Can you...tell me about her? What she was like?"

She thought for a long moment. "I...didn't know her for long, you know. But, for how long I knew her, she seemed extremely kind and gentle... A lot like you."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Now, are you hungry?" She stood up. "If you are, we should eat before we head up the mountain."

"Um... I actually kinda cleaned out all your snacks last night..."

She laughed. "Pig! I'm going to go change." She looked down at her dress and sighed. "I think this dress has probably had it..."

He silently agreed; the white dress was covered in dried blood, especially around the neck. Even the embroidered Triforce on the chest was unseen under the blood. He looked down at his own tunic, covered in blood as well. Too bad there wasn't a stream nearby...

"Got anywhere I can clean this?" He asked.

She poked her head out from behind a dressing screen, set up near her dresser, and pointed toward a large water trough in the corner. He nodded and took off his soiled clothes, going over to the trough. The water in it was clean, and the washboard made cleaning much easier. He made a mental note to ask her where to get one...

When he was done he hung up the tunic above a clothes line, hanging above the trough so the water dripping from it didn't soak the floor. He pulled on his still wet pants and then turned to find that Maple was done. She was wearing a red, feminine tunic tied with a simple black sash, with creme tights and black boots. The red was striking against her skin...

"I'm going to eat something really quick, and then we can go, okay?" She asked, her hair waving down in front of her face since she had taken the braid out.

"Okay."

He watched her as she ate, and after she was done she refilled their food and water supply. She then started for the door, before he cleared his throat.

"Um..." He pointed to his tunic and shirt, which were still hanging from the clothes line, dripping.

"Oh! Sorry!"

She grabbed them and whirled them around above her head. The wind that blew through the room as she did was warm, and he had a feeling that she was drying them magically. She then held them out to him, nice and dry. He dressed quickly and strapped on his equipment before they set out. Maple quickly filled a small trough that was in front of her with water and set out some hay. They then patted her on the nose and set off.

The hike up the mountain was much easier this time around. It also helped that Maple was now dressed for the hike and wasn't screaming in pain from the rocks stabbing her feet.

When they crossed in front of Dodongo's Cavern, after about an hour, the path turned, and it became apparent that something was wrong. There were boulders rolling down the path, and it took quite a bit of effort to dodge them. Link also couldn't help but notice that the once peaceful clouds surrounding the summit of Death Mountain were bright red, like fire floating in the air. How he hadn't noticed it before, considering how bright the clouds were, amazed him.

They reached Goron City and found it almost completely deserted, except for only one Goron, rolling around on the tier below them.

"What do you think happened?" He asked. Maple shrugged and led the way down to the tier where the lone Goron was rolling.

It took a lot of coaxing to get the Goron to finally stop, but when he finally did, they realized that he was crying.

"How could you do this to me?" He screamed, still rolled up in a ball but no longer rolling around crazily. "You, you're Ganondorf's servant!" He yelled, his voice high from panic. "Hear my name and tremble! I am Link! Hero of the Gorons!"

Link and Maple looked at each other.

"You're name is Link?" Link asked. The Goron looked up at them. "My name is Link as well."

"What?" Goron Link said as he stood up. He was much shorter than them, obviously still very young. "Your name is also Link?"

"Yes."

"Then you must be the legendary Dodongo Buster and Hero, Link!"

"Dodongo...Buster?" Link asked, stunned.

"My dad is Darunia... Do you remember him?"

"Yes, of course..."

"Dad named me Link after you, because you're so brave!"

"Really? I'm, well, honored!" Link said, suddenly feeling very hot in the face.

"It's a cool name! I really like it! Link, you're a hero to us Gorons! I'm so glad to meet you!"

"Well, I'm glad to meet you, too," Link said, reaching up and scratching his head.

"Please give me your autograph! Sign it: 'To my friend, Link of the Gorons'!"

"Um, I don't think that this is a good time..." Maple whispered.

"Oh... I guess it's _not_ a good time to ask you for this... Please help everyone!"

"What do you mean?"

"My dad, Darunia, went to the Fire Temple. A dragon is inside! If we don't hurry up, even my dad will be eaten by the dragon!" Goron Link then started crying, loudly.

"We should try to calm him down," Maple said. "Try talking to him, or asking a question."

Link then thought for a moment. He then decided to ask about this 'dragon' that Goron Link had mentioned. "So, what's this you said about a dragon?" Link asked.

Goron Link sniffed loudly. "A long time ago there was an evil dragon named Volvagia living in this mountain. That dragon was very scary! He ate Gorons!"

"I can't imagine why," Link muttered under his breath to Maple, eyeing the rocks protruding from the small Goron's head and back. He can't of imagined that they settled well in the stomach...

"Using a huge hammer," Goron Link said, not noticing his comment, "the hero of the Gorons... BOOOM!" He made a motion, as if hitting something over the head with something in his hands. "Destroyed it just like that. This is a myth from long ago, but it's true! I know, because my dad is a descendant of the hero!" He started crying again.

"What happened to the other Gorons?" Maple asked.

Again, the Goron sniffed. "Everybody was taken to the Fire Temple..."

"When?"

"While my dad was out... Ganondorf's followers came and took them all away! All of them will be eaten by Volvagia!"

"But, why would he let Volvagia eat them?" Link asked.

"Dad said that Ganondorf has revived Volvagia... As a warning to those who might oppose him, Ganondorf is going to feed them all to Volvagia! Dad went to the Fire temple all by himself to try to save everyone... Please help, Link! I'll give you this heat-resistant tunic!"

Link didn't know where he pulled it out from, but Goron Link was suddenly holding out a red tunic, very similar to the one Maple was now wearing, except... Well, it wasn't made to be worn by a girl.

"Wow! Thank you!"

"Dad told me not to let anybody follow him to the temple, but... Only you, Link, can save everyone! I'm sure that the shot owner, who is hiding somewhere right now, will also help you!"

"Thank you, so much!"

"Now, I'll tell you about the secret passage to the Fire Temple!" He said, clapping his hands together. "Try to move the statue inside Dad's room!" He then curled back up into a ball and began to roll around the tier again.

Link quickly took off his green tunic and put on the red one. It didn't feel any different, but he looked over at Maple, who was eyeing him.

"Looks good."

"What's it do?" He asked.

"There's an ancient magic in that tunic. It'll prevent you from burning up inside of the volcano. It'll also help if you need to walk across lava, but only for a few seconds."

"Really?" He asked, stunned. He couldn't believe that the tunic did all that.

"Yep. Wearing one myself!" She smiled as she gestured to the red tunic she was wearing. He imagined that he didn't look as good in it as she did.

"Nice."

"Now, let's go move that statue!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, I chose ReDeads earlier because they've always really freaked me out! Even now, I see one in the game and I scream and make Link run in the opposite direction! And every time I imagine that Link is yelling at me to just have him cut them down instead of making him run like a chicken, lol :) Hope it was good!<strong>

**Oh, and what temple is your fav in the game? And which enemy do you think is the most difficult to beat? I, personally, have always like the Water Temple. As for an enemy... Dark Link usually almost kills me every time :) He's so hard to out maneuver O_o He definitely would have been a major B.A. boss...**

** Review and let us know :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**My husband decided to play TP today, so concentrating on writing this chapter was _extremely_ hard XD Especially after remembering how good of a job Nintendo did on the graphics... Link looks _good_ O_O**

**What? My obsession is _not_ unhealthy... :/**

* * *

><p>"Hm, so I don't remember everything that happened yesterday, but there <em>is<em> something that strikes me as strange," I asked, as we walked down the stairs, making our way down to Darunia's room.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Something I vaguely remember you calling me..."

"What?" He asked again.

"I remember you calling me 'love'."

I looked over at Link to see his face beet red, scratching his head. "I - uh - it didn't mean - it's - it's something us Kokiri call friends - it's - it's nothing."

I giggled. "Aw, look at you, blushing like a schoolboy. What happened to that _feisty_ little boy who was constantly trying to convince me I liked him, huh?"

"N - nothing. He's still here, just..." He glanced at me before smirking. "Just surprised, that's all."

I stopped in front of the statue Goron Link had mentioned. "Well, let's leave the surprise for later, okay? We've got a statue to move and a tribe to save."

I watched as Link easily pushed the statue to the side, revealing a hidden chamber. The heat that waved from it told me that this chamber led to the heart of the mountain.

"Well, if you want my surprised reactions left for another time, then _don't_ surprise me."

I smiled. "No promises."

The walk down the corridor was a few minutes long, and with each step it got hotter and hotter. So hot that we were soon walking on opposite ends of the corridor, keeping away from each other so the heat from our bodies wouldn't make it worse. But it felt like nothing worked. By the time we emerged into the inside of the mountain, our bodies were completely covered in sweat.

"Goddess, it's hot," Link exclaimed. He then looked at me, his eyes wide. "Oh, sorry."

I started. "Sorry for what?"

"For saying 'goddess' like that. Didn't mean to curse your people or anything..."

I glared at him and he smirked. "I. Am. _No._ Goddess. So therefore, I don't care."

The inside of the mountain was almost completely made up of lava, with tall platforms and some bridges sprinkled around. Apparently this was a regular hot-spot for the Gorons, otherwise why would there have been bridges?

Ahead of us was a bridge, but when we approached it we realized that it was half burnt up, the other side completely inaccessible from where we were at.

"How do we get across?" Link asked. I said nothing, too preoccupied by the lava below us to really care. It was so close...

I don't like fire...

"Ah!" Link suddenly exclaimed, making me jump. I felt his hand grab the back of my shirt as I started to fall forward. "Careful..."

"What's your idea?" I asked, my voice unusually high.

"Hookshot!"

"What?"

"See? There's a plank of wood hanging from that rock, right above the other side of the bridge. We just Hookshot over and we're good!"

"O – KAYYYY!" I screamed as Link suddenly grabbed me around the waist and we shot forward. The Hookshot then dropped us on the other side of the bridge, and for just a moment I thought about kissing the ground. I thought better of it, however.

When we landed, I suddenly felt another presence. Someone else was here, but who else would dare come into the mountain, I didn't know. But, as Sheik fell from the sky, for some reason I wasn't surprised.

"It is something that grows over time... A true friendship," he said as he walked toward us. I noticed that his crimson eyes flashed toward my and Link's hands, joined together after the ride across the bridge. "A feeling in the heart that becomes even stronger over time... The passion of friendship will soon blossom into a righteous power and through it, you will know which way to go... This song is dedicated to the power of the heart... Listen to the Bolero of Fire..."

He then, once again seemingly from no where, pulled out the harp. Link responded by pulling out his Ocarina.

They played, and the song was more upbeat than the last few Link had played, almost like a march. As they played I briefly forgot about the heat, and the fact that I thought I was going to collapse at any moment. They played for about an hour, until Link had the song memorized and he played it well.

"Link... I'll see you again..."

"Wait!" Link said, running forward. Before he got very far, however, a wall of fire erupted in between them, blocking Link's path. We then both watched as Sheik threw down his arm, causing a flash that blinded us both. When our vision cleared, he was gone.

"Strange man..." I mumbled.

"You got that right."

We walked down to a small corridor, which we bothed guessed was the entrance to the Fire Temple. Once we walked in, we realized that it was a dead end. The only way was down, via a long ladder. Link and I looked at each other before he went down first.

It was long, seeming to take forever before we felt our feet touch the ground below. Once we were at the bottom, however, the corridor continued, and off in the distance I could see three bright torches on what looked like a balcony.

We emerged into a cavernous room, and in front of us was a large staircase, extending straight up the room, to a large balcony above, where the three torches I had seen from afar were. It was still hot here, but not nearly has hot as it had been outside.

"There's a door over there. To the left of the stairs," Link said after we walked in. Sure enough I could see that there was a door. On the right side of the stairs was a large statue, in about the same place as the door on the other side.

We walked inside, and we found ourselves in a small corridor that looped slightly to the right. We followed it, but didn't get far. Ahead of us was what looked like a prison cell, and inside of it was one of those blue and gold treasure chests, along with a very scared Goron who was curled up into a ball and whimpering.

"Please... Don't... Eat me..." He said, when he heard us. "If you eat something like me, you'll get a stomach ache! You'll be sorry!"

There was no apparent way to open the cell, so Link led the way back out into the previous room. We then climbed the stairs. At the top were a couple of Fire Keese, which I took down with ease with my bow. Link scowled slightly at me. Apparently he had wanted to take them down.

"Not my fault that my bow is easier accessed then yours." I then stuck out my tongue. He shook his head, ignoring the locked door to our right, and led me to the door on the left.

When we walked in, we found ourselves in a large room, full of lava. There were platforms spread out around here, and straight ahead of us stood Darunia, who was standing in front of a very large and locked door.

"Who's there?" Darunia said when we closed the door behind us. "Is that you, Link...?"

"Yes, it's me!"

"Oh, it really is Link! You've grown so big since I last saw you! I want to have a man-to-man talk with you, but now's not the time. Ganondorf is causing trouble on Death Mountain again! He has revived the evil, ancient dragon Volvagia! On top of that, he is going to feed my people to that evil dragon as a warning to other races that might resist him... If that fire-breathing dragon escapes from the mountain, all of Hyrule will become a burning wasteland!"

"What do we do?" Link asked.

"I will go on ahead to try to seal up the evil dragon... I'm concerned, though, because I don't have the legendary hammer..."

"If you don't have it, then go and - "

"But I have no choice. Link... I'm asking you to do this as my Sworn Brother... While I'm trying to deal with the dragon, please, save my people! The prisoners' cells are in the opposite direction. I'm counting on you, Link!"

Darunia then turned and walked through the large door. When it closed behind him, it locked.

Link growled. "There isn't even a way to get across! The gap between this platform and that one is too far to jump! And the door's locked as well!" He growled again.

I looked across the lava to see that, sure enough, the gap was much too big to jump across. I wasn't going to use my magic to get us across, either. I had a feeling that _someone_ up above wouldn't like me to do all the work for the Hero of Time...

"What do we do?" I asked.

"Isn't it obvious? We go save the Gorons and then come back and help Darunia!"

I nodded, but I wasn't very confident. I hadn't been in Hyrule during the time that Volvagia had been released before, but I had heard the stories. I highly doubted that Darunia would last very long in there, all by himself. As I thought, I realized that there was another one of those strange cell things in the corner of the room we were in, to our left.

"Hey!" I exclaimed. "There's a cell over there!"

Link followed my finger and then nodded.

We had to jump between a few platforms to get to the one where the cell was at, but once we were there Link stepped on a switch on the floor, and the bars to the cage instantly went up. Almost the instant that the bars sprang open, the Goron inside jumped up, screaming. He then saw us and smiled.

"Are you releasing me?" He asked. "Am I free to go?"

"Yes, you can go home now!" Link said.

The Goron clapped his hands together, clearly relieved. "I'll tell you a secret for saving me! ... In order to get into the room where Darunia went, you have to do something about the pillar stuck in the ceiling. Find a path that leads to a room above the ceiling right away!"

The Goron then took off, jumping into the lava below and rolling through it as if it were merely water, or dirt. He then climbed up to the platform and exited through the door.

"Hey!" Link walked into the cell and bent down. When he righted, he held up a key. "There was a chest in here!"

"Cool! Now we can use that key to get through the other back there!"

"Then let's go! We need to get into that room before Darunia gets seriously hurt!"

We easily jumped back across the platforms, where we walked through the door the Goron had just disappeared through. We then ran straight ahead, to the door in front of us. We unlocked it and walked into a large room. There was a bridge stretching clear across the room, to a door on the other end. To our left and right were more doors, the only way to reach them by jumping from platform to platform.

Link instantly took out the few Fire Keese flying around the room with his bow, seeming pleased with himself that he had gotten to it before me. We then ran across the bridge, which made me slightly nervous since it swayed from our weight, and to the door on the other side. We were stopped, however, after discovering that the door was locked.

"Now what..." Link mumbled, more to himself than to me. He looked around the room, to the other two doors on either side, and then nodded. "Follow me." He looked back at me, suddenly very serious. "And be careful."

I nodded and did as he asked.

We made our way to the door on our right, jumping onto a strange stone platform that protruded from the lava. We ran the length of the platform, being careful with our footing since it was extremely narrow. We then jumped onto a platform, shaped oddly like a block, and the moment we landed I knew something was wrong. Our combined weight made the block rumble, and suddenly it was sinking.

Link didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward, onto the next block. This one started to go down as well, but we now knew what to do, jumping instantly from it to the ledge where the door was at.

We landed and I looked back at the two blocks, floating innocently on the lava as if nothing had happened. I glared at them, wondering what other kinds of things we would run into like those floating blocks...

Link walked straight through the door, and as we did I noticed that the ledge above the door had one of those blocks with the Door of Time symbol on it. I guess you could call them Blocks of Time, or just time blocks. But Link either hadn't noticed it or was just ignoring it for now, for he opened the door and looked back at me, waiting.

It was another corridor that winded softly to the right. Not far down was a switch, and Link instantly stepped on it, opening a prison with another Goron in it. He acted much the same, springing up with a look of horror on his face, until he saw us.

"Here's a secret for saving me!" He said as he realized that we weren't there to eat him. "A wall that you can destroy with the Goron's 'special crop' will sound different than a regular wall if you hit it with your sword."

There was a chest in this cell as well, and I had a feeling that there would be one in most, if not all, the cells. It revealed another key.

Back in the room with the bridge, Link stood to the side and played what he had called the 'Song of Time.' After it was over, the time block above us disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing in front of us, blocking the door we had just walked through. It revealed a door.

Link and I climbed up, he first so he could help me up, and we walked through the new door.

On the other side was a room that was much different from any other room we had seen in this temple so far. The floor was elaborately tiled, and on the other side of the room was an alcove with two torches on it, and between them was what looked like a giant slug, or maybe an extremely large and fat tapeworm. It was just sitting there, waving around and sucking at the air above it.

I walked in front of Link, and almost the moment I did there was a strange 'whooshing' sound. Link then suddenly wrapped his arms around me, his shield strapped on to one, and I felt him shake as things started hitting his shield.

One...two...three...four. Eight things hit his shield, and then suddenly all was still.

"What was that?" I asked as Link sighed and put away his shield.

"The tiles on the floor. They were bewitched to slam into us, and that first one almost hit you."

"Thanks, then. You seem to be saving my life a lot, lately..."

"Well, this last one wasn't exactly saving your life you know... I just figured that it wouldn't feel too good having a solid block of cement slam into you, that's all... But no problem." He then looked passed me. "What is that?"

I looked to see that he was pointing to the tapeworm thing. I shrugged. "Never seen one before..."

Navi came out at this point, always with perfect timing. "It's a Like Like. They will swallow you and eat your tunic and shield if you're not careful..."

Link huffed. "Don't go near it, then." He then drew his bow and started letting the arrows fly, each one that hit making the creature squirm. It finally melted into a puddle and disappeared. The sight made me shiver.

"What was the point of coming in here, anyways?" I asked, once all the enemies were gone and it was clear that there was nothing of value in there.

Link shrugged. "No reason, I guess. Was hoping that there was another Goron in here, but..."

We walked back out into the room with the bridge and made our way to the other side of the room. On the other side, in almost the same exact spot as the previous door, was a tile wall, which was oddly discolored, as if it had recently been built. Link then unsheathed his sword, lightly hitting the tiles with it. It clanged oddly.

"Um..." Link looked back at me, scratching his head and suddenly looking slightly uncomfortable. "I hate to have to ask you this, but did you pack my bombs?"

"Of course. And why did you hate to ask?"

His face turned red. "It just makes me feel like you're someone who sweats and slaves over me, that's all."

I started, but smiled. "I don't mind helping you know." I glared slightly. "I'm not saying that I'm suddenly going to slave over you or anything. I am an independent woman."

Link smirked. "An independent _old_ woman."

For just a moment, I glared at him. His smirk slowly fell as he realized that I hadn't laughed. I then sighed, realizing that he was just teasing me.

"Exactly. An _old_ woman."

My smile reassured him.

Link reached into his pouch and pulled out a bomb. He lit the fuse and then set it down near the tiled wall. I quickly created a bubble around the bomb and Link chuckled for reasons unknown to me. His eyes then widened as he realized that he could still hear, and he ducked, plugging his ears before the bomb went off.

Neither of us heard it, however, even though it was clearly seen and the tile wall was now rubble. Link looked up at me, confused.

"I learned that creating a bubble around the bomb instead of around our ears allows us to hear, yet silences the bomb." I smiled. "Now, we can blow up things and talk at the same time."

Link smirked and we walked through the door the hole revealed. Another locked up Goron was on the other side, Link freeing him by stepping on a switch. This one told us that there were strange switches in the temple that you had to hit to activate, versus stepping on. He also told us that they could be activated with the 'special crop.' Link took the key from the chest and we went back to the room with the bridge. We made our way to the door at the end, the locked one, and quickly went through.

The room we emerged into was strange. The ledge we were standing on was higher than the rest of the room, and the large gap between our platform and the other side of the room was too large to jump, so we had to slide down a small ramp. Once on the other side, we were surrounded by a metal grate, and in the middle was a jet of flame, shooting up to a hole in the ceiling every few seconds.

Link and I quickly took down the Keese in the room, most of which were hanging from the grate and sleeping. Link then climbed up the grate, telling me to stay, and I watched as he climbed onto a small section suspended above a tall platform. He then pushed a large block off of the platform, where it landed on the jet of flame, which was quiet at the moment. Link jumped onto it as it fell, and I ran up to him as the block hit the floor. Link pulled me up, just as the jet shot into the air, sending the block and us up to the second floor.

"Cool elevator," Link said as we stepped off the block, into a small room.

"Yep. Pretty cool."

Actually, it had kinda creeped me out. All I wanted to do was get out of this temple as soon as possible and soak in a cool stream for a couple of hours. And that elevator ride hadn't exactly been 'cool,' if you know what I mean.

The door in front of us was locked, which Link fixed with a key. We then walked through, and found ourselves in a room whose floor and walls were made from green tile. In front of us was another prison, but the switch to it was on the other side. I could see it from where we stood. So the only way to go was up, and the only way to do that was climb the platforms like stairs.

We came upon what looked like a slug, but its body was on fire, a jet of flame shooting from its back. I quickly nocked an arrow, the pain startling the creature into extinguishing its flame, revealing a grey and disgusting body. Link then took it down easily with his sword. On the next platform was a torch, along with another flaming slug. We took it down and then turned toward the next platform. There was what looked like a crystal on it, along with a block.

"That crystal must be one of those switches that the Goron told us about..."

Link nodded and quickly jumped the large gap, which was too large for me, and pushed the block onto the floor, so we now had a way back up from the bottom.

Link waited for me as I jumped down and climbed up the block. I then had to jump to another platform, above the Goron's cage, and climb up some more metal grating. Once at the top, the only way up was blocked off by a large wall of fire. Link, without any instruction from me, ran over to the edge of the platform, right above the switch, and dropped a lit bomb.

"You're getting the hang of this," I said, quickly throwing up another bubble. Link smiled. The moment the bomb went off, the switch flipped and the wall of fire was gone.

We climbed quickly, having the strangest feeling that the switch wouldn't hold for long. We were right, for halfway up the grate the fire below us lit again, and I suddenly found myself clinging to the grate as if it was my last lifeline.

Of all the ways to die, burning to death was _definitely_ on the bottom of my list...

I _really_ needed to get out of here...


	28. Chapter 28

They emerged into what looked like a giant maze. Link could hear things moving around in the maze, and he couldn't help but notice that Maple seemed unusually uneasy. She alway so brave, never saying that she was scared, or even acting as if she was. Now it was etched on her face, plainer than the fact that Darunia was in grave danger somewhere below them.

Maple seemed to notice that he was studying her, because she smiled up at him and twirled her hands, just like he did when nervous. "Sorry, I don't like fire..."

He couldn't help but chuckle, and she glared up at him, her hands turning even faster. He watched them turn, wondering to himself if his bad habits were starting to rub off on her. He didn't remember her doing that until a few days after they had met...

Link shook his head, clearing it, and took her arm and turned to their left. He kept to the outer wall, noticing that there were giant boulders rolling around the maze, and every few steps they would have to press up against the wall to avoid one. As they ran down the wall, he saw a small alcove and dashed to it, through the door there. In it was another cell and Goron. He quickly freed him by stepping on the switch.

This Goron told them that if they ever caught on fire, they could put it out by rolling on the ground. Link grabbed the key from the chest and continued.

Link and Maple went back through the door, out into the maze. They continued to follow the outer wall, avoiding the rolling boulders with relative ease. If ever they found themselves cornered, Maple would send a blast of magic at the boulder, strong enough that it would start rolling in the other direction. Link saw that there were Gorons trapped above the maze, but there was no way to free them yet. They kept going, finding another alcove with a cell and switch. Link quickly pressed it.

This one told them about false doors, about how they would fall on them if they tried to open them. These false doors could be destroyed with bombs. Another key was gained and they continued.

They found a locked door and immediately walked through it. They emerged into a room suspended high over a room of lava. The only way across was a very narrow platform. If they fell...

Link saw an eye switch on the other side of the room. Link quickly drew his bow, which was easy to him now, and shot the switch with an arrow. A door to their right opened. He turned to Maple, who looked even more nervous, if it was at all possible.

"Stay here," he said to her. He knew that he would have to come back in a few minutes. That locked door on the other side of the room told him so.

Maple, amazingly, nodded and sat down. Her eyes were so wide from fear that he feared they would pop from her head. Her eyes kept darting to the side of the ledge, where there was an extremely high drop to the room below.

Link carefully walked down the ledge, turning right toward the newly opened door. On the other side, he realized that he was inside of what looked like a cage. On the other side was a room full of lava, with metal grates suspended over it. He turned to his right, seeing a chest there. He quickly opened it, pulling out the map, and went back into the previous room, where Maple hadn't moved.

He quickly helped her across the ledge. She seemed slightly reluctant, but she came. They made it to the locked door.

They were in that room he had seen a couple of minutes before, full of lava with suspended metal grates. They quickly jumped onto the grate and started to run across.

Almost the moment their feet touched the grate, a wall of fire appeared behind them, and it was moving toward them, quickly.

They ran, jumping up onto a higher grate. Halfway across the room there was a gap between the grates, and they quickly jumped the gap. But almost the moment they jumped, one of those floating skulls jumped from the lava, right at them. Maple shot it down, a small squeal escaping her lips as she did. They landed, running across the room and to a ledge with a door.

They were now on the top of the maze with the rolling boulders. Directly in front of them was one of those flaming slugs. Link shot an arrow, extinguishing its flame, and then he jumped onto the platform it was on, slashing it with his sword.

Maple joined him after the slug was gone.

"You okay?" Link asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"You sure? I keep thinking you're going to have a panic attack or something..."

As she looked up at him, she did seem okay. Her eyes weren't the size of saucers anymore, anyways. "Yeah. Just don't like fire. That and I need to jump into a cold stream _really_ bad right about now."

He chuckled, but he understood. This temple was extremely hot and uncomfortable. He wanted to get out almost as bad as she did.

Link walked to the very middle of the platform they were standing on, and noticed that the bricks under his feet seemed uneven and weak. As if they were going to collapse at any moment.

"Link, I hear Goron voices below!" Navi exclaimed. Link thought for a moment, and then put a bomb at his feet, backing up toward Maple and holding up his shield to protect them.

Then there was that strange sensation, of being able to hear the boulders rolling around below them, hearing Maple breathing next to him, and not hearing the bomb as the floor shook from the blast. He looked over his shield to see that there was now a hole in the ground.

Perfect.

Maple stayed on the platform while he climbed down the metal grating in the hole. At the bottom, which was quite a ways down, was a corridor that turned to the left. He followed it and at the end he found a switch and a Goron cell. He stepped on it, and the cell opened at both ends, giving him access to the room with the crystal switch. The Goron told him about an enemy that danced, that arrows couldn't hurt. He told Link that the 'special crop' was the only thing that could hurt it. Link grabbed the key from the chest and went back up the metal grating.

Maple looked calm, a lot more like the Maple he knew. She smiled at him when he emerged.

"Was there a Goron down there?" She asked.

"Yes. And the switched opened a passage to the room with that strange crystal switch."

"Good. Now, there's another Goron up here, so let's go save him, shall we?"

They hopped around the platforms. He couldn't help but notice that all of the enemies on the platforms were gone.

"What happened to the other slugs?" He asked.

Maple giggled. "Sorry. I couldn't help myself while you were down there. Had to do something, you know."

Link just smiled.

They freed another Goron on the other side of the room. Another key was inside and the Goron gave some more advice, this time about playing the Ocarina when there was a spot on the map they couldn't reach.

They made their way back to the room with the suspended metal grates. The fire chased them as it had before, but this time Maple seemed determined. Link knew why: she knew she wasn't going to get out of there any sooner by panicking.

They hopped across the room, to a different ledge they hadn't noticed before. This one had a locked door at the top, and they quickly went through.

They were in a long corridor, torches lighting the way on either side of them. They walked through the door at the end, and the room they emerged into was large.

In the very center of the room was a large pillar, and right in front of them was what looked like a giant stone spike. On either side of the pillar were smaller, strange columns with more boulders rolling around between them. There were also strange spinning statues, spitting fire from their mouths.

They took a moment to take down the Fire Keese. After they were done, they jumped down to find that the floor was more of the metal grating. They could see clear down to the room far below, and Link instantly recognized the room in which they had seen Darunia.

"This must be that pillar that Goron mentioned..." Maple mumbled, motioning to the large stone spike in front of them. He nodded in agreement.

They made their way to the right, and soon discovered that there were walls of fire preventing them from just walking straight down the room, and they only appeared when they ventured close. So they maneuvered through the strange fire maze, to a door against the farthest right wall. On the other side of the door was another chest, inside it the compass. They then went back out into the maze.

They met one of those fake doors a Goron had mentioned. The moment Link tried to open it, it wobbled and tried to knock him over. He jumped out of the way, however. It then plastered itself back against the wall, looking like no more than an innocent door. Link noticed that it didn't really..._blend_ with the wall. It stuck out, as if it was just a door resting against a wall. He made a mental note to remember that for future reference.

They entered through a locked door, where inside they found another imprisoned Goron. There was no way to free it, so they turned back around and went back out into the maze.

They ventured to the other side of the room, where another strange maze greeted them. They made their way through, eventually finding a switch, which Link stepped on. The switch lowered a wall of fire, making another section of the room accessible. They quickly ran to the now clear ledge and to the door on the other side.

It was fake, and nearly flattened them. Link used a bomb to destroy it, revealing a real door behind it. They quickly went through.

On the other side, the door locked behind them. In front of them was a square room, and directly in the middle was a large platform with a jet of flame shooting out from it. A hideous laugh broke through the silence, and something jumped out from the fire.

It was a strange creature, whose limbs were made completely of fire. It's body looked like a large bomb with red markings on it.

They ran from it, and it danced after them. Link immediately realized that this creature was the thing the Goron had told him about.

Link turned, pulling out a bomb as he did. He tossed it at the body of the creature, and as it hit, the creature screamed. The fire around its body disappeared, leaving behind the strange black body, with small legs and arms. It ran from them.

Link slashed it with his sword and it squealed, running in the opposite direction, trying to get away. But Link was faster, slashing it again and again. The creature eventually turned toward the fire in the room and jumped inside.

Link ran back to Maple and they waited. The creature emerged, the fire covering its body like clothes all over again. But the fire was now blue.

Link repeated the process, throwing a bomb at it and watching as its clothes disappeared. He chased it, slashing, and it disappeared into the fire once again. This time, when it came out, the fire surrounding its body was green.

It retaliated, not wanting Link to even get a chance to attack. It sent flames everywhere, and Link yelled as he felt them burn his exposed skin. Reacting instinctively, he pulled out his Hookshot and shot it toward the creature. Surprisingly, the Hookshot grabbed hold of the black body and pulled it toward him. Link slashed at it, since it now couldn't get away.

It screamed again, its body swelling and flashing. He ran toward Maple, getting away from it just as it exploded.

Now that he wasn't worrying about the Fire Dancer, he looked down at his skin, where he had been burned. The skin was red, blistered: at least a second degree injury. And it hurt like hell.

"That looks like it hurts..." Maple said as she walked over to where he was kneeling.

"You think?" He snapped. Almost immediately he wished he hadn't said that, because her face fell. "I'm sorry, it just hurts."

"I'll fix it." Maple healed it, but the look on her face was sad.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you," Link said, feeling even worse, despite the fact that his pain was now gone.

"It's okay. Really."

Link frowned but turned around.

He noticed that the fire on the platform in the middle of the room was now gone, leaving behind a block. He and Maple quickly jumped up onto it, and it proved to be an elevator, taking them up through a hole in the ceiling. They walked through the door in the room above and found themselves in another room with a crystal switch. They quickly climbed up, to where the way up was blocked by a wall of fire, and Link dropped a bomb next to the crystal. They then climbed up the grate.

The room they emerged into was large and completely round. There were ledges circling the outside of the room, and on the far side was a chest surrounded by fire. They took a moment and destroyed all the Fire Keese. Link then stepped on a switch.

The fire around the chest went out. Link ran along the edge of the room, being as careful as he could with his footsteps. The edge he was running on ran along the perimeter of a large hole, which dropped farther than he could really see. He _really_ didn't want to fall...

He reached the ledge with the chest and stopped himself from kissing the floor. Thinking about falling _that_ far hadn't set well with him... Instead, he walked over to the chest and opened it, gasping as he saw what was inside.

Inside was the legendary Hammer that Darunia had mentioned. It was large, and heavy enough that he had to grasp it with both hands. He held it, feeling a strange power spread through his fingers. He took a test swing, throwing it down.

The blast made the floor rumble, and he almost fell over. He laughed at himself, putting it in his pouch. He was amazed at how once it was inside he didn't feel its weight.

He needed to thank Maple for that, later.

He made his way back down, to where Maple was waiting. She the pointed to a strange block in the floor.

"If you hit that with the Hammer, I bet it'll do something."

Link nodded, pulling out his hammer and slamming it down on the small block. The floor shook, and the block instantly fell, revealing a hole with a ledge not far down. He motioned for Maple to follow and dropped down. He turned, catching her just as she jumped.

There was no where to go. The only thing in the room was a strange statue made of two blocks in the corner. Actually, he had seen a statue just like that at the entrance...

Out of curiosity, Link walked over and swung the Hammer, ramming it into the bottom portion of the statue. It disappeared, causing the top half to drop to the floor. Again, Link swung and it disappeared, revealing a door.

On the other side were more Keese. Link and Maple worked together to take them down, and then looked around the room. There was another one of those blocks in the floor, like the one he had hit to reveal the hole. Quickly Link slammed down on it with his hammer, and the floor suddenly dropped, piece by piece, making a very large staircase. At the bottom was a door and a blue switch.

Link turned around, since he knew from experience that the blue switches needed constant pressure, but Maple already was ready, holding a large box.

"Already ahead of ya," she said.

He smiled at her, hoping to convey to her that he wasn't mad at her. She smiled back.

They jumped down to the door, stair to stair, and Maple dropped the box on the switch. The door opened and they walked through.

Another block in the floor stood ahead of them, in the small room, and it was easily fixed with the hammer. Link jumped down, surprised to find that the fall was much higher than he had expected. He felt Maple's magic slow him, however, and he turned as she gracefully and carefully fell into his arms.

"Nice," he said, smirking at her. She smiled and hopped up onto a ledge above them. Link followed her.

Actually, now that he looked around, he realized that they were back in the room with the fire mazes, the one above the room where they had met Darunia. They were on a ledge overlooking the large pillar in the floor, where there was a locked door and one extremely rusted switch. Link easily fixed the problem by slamming the switch down with the hammer, and the door opened.

They were now above the Goron they had had no way to free, in the room inside of the large pillar. Across from them was another ledge, with a time block embedded in the floor. Link pulled out his Ocarina and played the song, and the block moved down to the floor below, revealing another rusted switch. After hitting it, the Goron cell opened.

"A door is hidden inside the statue at the entrance to this temple," he said before running off. Link grabbed the key and they set off.

They climbed the time block and exited through the door they had entered through. Link and Maple then both jumped across the gap, so that they were standing on the pillar. Link then gritted his teeth, preparing himself, and slammed down the hammer at his feet.

The pillar shook for a brief moment, and then suddenly they were falling. Both him and Maple screamed as they fell. They heard a large thud as the pillar embedded itself in the lava, making a path to the room where Darunia had gone. Just before they landed, Maple slowed them, and they touched down painlessly.

They made their way to the entrance of the temple, to the statue they had seen earlier. Link destroyed it with his hammer and they walked through the exposed door.

The room they entered into was full of slugs and Keese, which were all easily dealt with. Once all were dead, another door in the room opened and they walked through.

More tiles flew at them, and Link protected the both of them with his shield. He then took down the Like Like on the other side of the room and they went through the next door.

On the other side was another Fire Dancer. Now that Link knew that he could pull the creature toward him with the Hookshot, this battle was much easier, and he was able to avoid its attacks with ease. He couldn't help but notice that he was getting steadily better at fighting. Beating it didn't take as long as it had last time, and dodging and swinging his sword came with ease.

After it was defeated, it left behind a chest with bombs inside, and they walked through the door at the other side of the room.

The Goron locked up with the ordinate chest stood before them, the switch to set him free rusted. Link quickly hit the switch. The Goron then pleaded with them to save 'Big Brother', who Link guessed was Darunia.

"We will," Link said as the Goron walked away.

Link opened the chest to find another elaborate key, like the one they had found in the Forest Temple.

"Alright, let's go save Darunia!" Link yelled.

" ... So we can get out of here..."

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><p><strong>Sorry if it seems a little rushed, but the Fire Temple isn't one of my favorites, so I just wanted to get it over with XD<strong>


	29. Chapter 29

***Rolls over from laughter* Yes, OdnetninAdlez, I'm married, as of July of this year (newlywed, but still :D). I mentioned it somewhere in my profile... I think... I've updated it, you know O_o**

** That review made my day! Don't think I'll stop laughing for awhile XD**

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><p>I <em>really<em> just wanted to get out of here... Why we had to kill a dragon first was beyond me...

I followed Link, quite reluctantly, to the door where Darunia had disappeared. Once the door was opened, there was no going back, so I stood there for a long moment, debating to myself. But Link walked through the door and I had no choice. I couldn't just let him go in there _alone_... That, and someone's life was at stake. A goddess would never -

_I am _not_ a goddess! _I scolded. _I am just a normal human who was cursed, that's all!_

The room inside was filled with lava, with a large, round platform in the very middle. The platform was full of holes, and each hole was full of more lava. And the only way across was by a lone block, floating on the lake of lava below...

The moment we jumped across, the ground started to shake violently, an earthquake shaking the room. The block behind us sank into the lava, leaving us trapped in the middle of the room.

We watched as a hole in the middle of the platform erupted. For just a short moment, lava spewed everywhere, but then something started to climb out of it...

Volvagia had eyes as green as emeralds, and it was wearing a metal plate of armor over its face. As it slithered from the hole, I realized that its body was like that of a snake, long and thin. It had no legs, only two arms protruding from its body a couple of feet behind its large head. It also had a giant mane of fire, flaring out from behind its head.

"We need to get rid of the armor around its head," Link said.

It flew around the room, screaming at the top of its lungs. It then made a beeline for us, opening its mouth and blowing out a jet of flame. It then gracefully dove back into the hole from whence it had come.

Link and I had only a moment to throw glances at one another, and then there was yet another earthquake. Then, in the far corner, one of the holes started to erupt.

Link and I ran to it, Link brandishing his Hammer. Just as we approached the hole, Volvagia's head and shoulders spun out as it flipped its long mane through the air. Link, who was steadily getting better and faster as we traveled, ducked. I, however, ducked too late. I managed to avoid being hit in the stomach, but was hit in the face instead.

Despite the fact that the mane was made mostly of fire, it hit me like a brick wall, throwing me backwards. Even though my head spun, I forced myself up in time to see a blurry Link swing his hammer down on top of Volvagia's head. Volvagia screamed, grabbing its head before passing out, head and neck now exposed. I watched as Link quickly swung his sword, slashing at the armor.

Volvagia screamed again, grabbing at its head as it sunk back down into the hole.

I could feel that my cheek was burning, and blood was dripping off my jaw onto my tunic. Luckily my tunic was red, so it wouldn't be a stain that would require magic to remove.

Volvagia emerged completely, spinning around in the air. It began to chase Link around, slowly, and it was all Link could do to avoid it. I drew my bow and let an arrow fly, but sadly it did nothing. My heart sank as I realized that I was of no use here. Link was the only one who had the means to destroy the dragon.

I backed away, gasping as I saw that Volvagia's bright red skin was molten hot. It barely touched Link, and he screamed in pain. I caught a glimpse of a bright red burn that was oozing blood, right where Volvagia's skin had touched him.

I knew then that this was _not_ going to be a pretty battle.

Link ran, trying his best to avoid being hit. Volvagia was always right behind him, spouting flame from its mouth, trying to whip him with its tail. I stayed back, shooting arrows, aiming for its tender underside. But Volvagia seemed to know what I was aiming for and refused to expose it to me.

Volvagia screamed, diving back into a hole, disappearing. I started to run to Link, to heal his burn, but he looked at me and lightly shook his head, pulling out his Hammer. So we waited.

The ground shook and a different hole erupted. Link ran to it, swinging his Hammer as he did. It connected beautifully, and Volvagia fell to the ground, screaming. Link slashed down with his sword.

This time, when Volvagia woke, it swung its arm around and slashed Link with its claws before disappearing down the hole.

My heart dropped as I ran to him, seeing blood everywhere. I ignored his protests, quickly healing it before Volvagia re-emerged. This time, when Volvagia emerged, it didn't fly around the room chasing Link. It instead flew straight up to the ceiling, hitting loose rocks with its body.

Suddenly it was like a rainstorm of falling rocks, both small and large enough to crush us. Link and I ran, dodging the rocks that were suddenly raining down on us. A few small ones bounced off of us, but the height from which they had fallen caused it to be extremely painful. I felt the skin that was being pelted instantly swell and bruise.

As Volvagia dove through a hole, the rocks stopped raining down on us. We watched it disappear, and both of us moaned from the heat and our now sore bodies.

Link ran toward an erupting hole, but as he approached it, it suddenly quieted, and the hole behind it erupted.

"BEHIND YOU!" I screamed.

Link turned, just as Volvagia emerged. Link was too close, however, and Volvagia's flaming mane threw him back. Volvagia then screamed, sending a jet of flame at him before he had a chance to get away.

Link screamed as the flames licked him. I screamed as well, throwing up a shield to protect him from further harm. Volvagia then sank back into its hole.

Link rolled around in the dirt, putting out the flames that now covered his body. He then stood up, clearly holding back his intense pain, and slowly approached the now erupting hole. He waited, and Volvagia suddenly moved to another hole. Link swung his Hammer down on top of its head, and again it passed out, meeting Link's blade as it laid there.

Volvagia sunk back into the hole. Link bent over his knees. When I tried to heal the many wounds he now had, he pushed me away. We didn't get a chance to rest, however, for Volvagia emerged, angry, and tried to chase us down.

I got to feel for myself the burn of Volvagia's skin when I didn't duck low enough to avoid its tail. It was like setting hot coals right up against my skin, and I felt and heard it sizzle in response. It made me develop a new and much higher fear of fire.

All we could do was continue to run, making our now sore and bruised bodies work passed their limits. As we ran, Volvagia chased, breathing fire that made our skin shrivel just from the proximity.

We breathed a sigh of relief as Volvagia retreated back into a hole.

"We - can't do this - much longer," Link gasped.

I couldn't speak and instead nodded in return, kneeling over to take a breath. It was, of course, short lived.

Volvagia made two different holes erupt this time, before appearing from a third. Link's anger gave him strength, and he hit it over the head with the Hammer harder than he had before. Another swing of his sword...

But Volvagia didn't die. I could tell that it was getting weak and desperate, but it still had more fight left in it. _We_ would be dead from exhaustion before _this_ thing would die from a head injury!

There was more running as rocks rained down on us from the ceiling again. These rocks were bigger, and more than one hit us on the back, over the head. I eventually had to throw up a shield to protect us, but my exhaustion prevented me from making a strong one, so all it did was slow down the falling rocks.

Not one inch of our bodies would be bruise free: I knew this as a fact.

When Volvagia disappeared down a hole again, Link was ready, his face determined, ready to have this end. When Volvagia appeared, his Hammer and sword finally had the effect we were looking for.

Volvagia screamed, grabbing at its head. It sank down into the hole, slower than normal, and emerged from a different one. As it emerged, it spun around and around, tangling its body with itself. It continued to scream as its body exploded into flames, burning the scales away until there was nothing left but bones and its metal plated head. The bones and head fell from the sky, and Volvagia's jaw still quivered as if it was still trying to scream, despite its body being now gone.

Then, quite suddenly, its head exploded into a million pieces. Next to it appeared a brilliant ring of blue light.

Link and I looked at each other, and I was able to see clearly the seriousness of his injuries.

Most of his face and chest were covered in blood and burns. There were holes in his shirt and tunic, and underneath them were more burns and blood. He looked absolutely horrible. I knew I looked equally as bad.

We walked into the light together, both of us equally as relieved for this battle to finally be over.

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><p>Suddenly, Maple was gone. He was back in the Chamber of Sages, alone, and he was now facing a red Medallion pedestal. He knew, almost from the moment the ring of light appeared above it, who the sage in front of him was going to be.<p>

"Thank you, Brother!" Darunia said, smiling like always. "I really appreciate what you did. I thank you on behalf of the entire Goron race!"

"It was no problem, Brother," Link said, smirking at the large Goron. "It's not like I could rightfully leave all of you to your deaths, right?"

Darunia smirked right back. "You turned out to be a real man, just as I thought you would!"

Link laughed. "Thanks!"

"By the way, I, the wild Darunia, turned out to be the great Sage of Fire... Isn't that funny, Brother? Well, this must be what they call destiny."

Link nodded. "As long as destiny doesn't make you unhappy, Brother."

Darunia smirked again. Link couldn't help but like this man; the two of them were so much alike. If only Link had had more time to spend with him...

"Nothing has made me happier than helping you seal the evil here!"

"Thank you."

"Hey, Brother, take this! This is a Medallion that contains the power of the fire spirits - and my friendship."

The Medallion that Link received was bright red, with what looked to be a symbol for fire etched in the surface. Link pocketed it with the rest of the Medallions.

Light surrounded him, and as he faded back into Hyrule, Darunia's voice broke through the light.

"Don't forget... Now you and I are true Brothers!"

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><p>We appeared back outside the entrance to the Fire Temple, but still inside of the mountain. Why we couldn't have been dropped somewhere less hot...like <em>outside<em>, was beyond me.

Link used the Hookshot to get us back across the bridge, where we instantly ran toward the entrance to Goron City. It seems that I wasn't the only one ready to get out of the heat...

We kept running, through the city and down the trail. Both of us only had one thing on our minds, and neither of us wanted to waste anymore time getting there: water.

It took us a good hour and a half, but we finally reached Hyrule Field. We ran to the section of the river that ran by the trail to Kakariko and didn't even hesitate. Both of us lunged into the cool water, all of our clothes and equipment still on. We screamed as the cool water hit our many burns, since the water burned it even more, but neither of us cared. All we wanted was to lay in the shallow end of the river and soak, washing away all the sweat and dirt and blood covering our bodies.

We laid there, not uttering a word, until the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. We then forced ourselves up, our bodies now screaming at us in protest. I had no energy to heal us, so we walked back up to Kakariko, limbs still screaming, and to my house. It was when we got there that I realized that we had been gone at least a good day, because Epona's hay supply was gone and the water almost drained. I had given her enough for a full day and since it was gone, well...

Link refilled her supply as I went inside and started the fire. Both of us were now shivering from cold, because of the heat of our burns and the bite in the cold air.

I made some stew, and we ate in silence. After we were done I sat in the chair opposite Link and felt myself drift off.

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><p><strong>It's a little short...sorry. And I usually don't split up chapters like that (from one person to another), but I didn't want to skip the convo with Darunia.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Alright, so I'm not quite sure where the line is drawn between ratings, so just in case, this chapter is rated M... XD**

**And thanks for the shout-out, OdnetninAdlez :) Makes me feel quite honored OwO**

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><p>Link awoke some time later, although the lack of light coming through the windows told him it was still dark. Maple was in the chair across from him, and her breathing told him that she was on the verge of waking as well.<p>

Link shifted and immediately regretted it. Every inch of his body was either bruised or burned, and apparently it didn't appreciate the position in which he had fallen asleep.

His eyes shifted around the room, landing on their equipment, including his gloves, boots, and hat, laying in the corner; on the pot over the fire, stew still steaming; and finally, on Maple.

Her eyes fluttered open. His heart fell at the sight of her. Half of her face was covered in blood, which had apparently oozed since the swim in the river, and underneath the open gash he could see that her skin was purple and bruised. Her arms and legs were also just as bad, her tunic torn in many places. She smiled at him despite all this.

"Maybe it's time to heal us," Link said to her. She nodded.

He watched as she healed herself, first. She placed her hand to her cheek, and it was the strangest sight: it almost seemed as if her fingers slowly sucked up the gash in her face as it knitted itself together. Underneath, the bruise was still visible but not as bad, only a slight discoloration. She then spent the next few minutes healing all the rest of her other burns and scrapes, cuts and bruises. It took much longer than he expected. She then took a wet cloth and wiped away all the lingering blood on her skin.

Finally she moved from her chair and worked on him, placing her hands over his wounds, letting that strange feeling run through his skin as it healed, following it with the wet cloth where ever there was still blood.

He blinked, suddenly mad. Why was it that they were even having to _do_ this? Healing themselves after a battle with a dragon? What the hell were the goddesses thinking? _Why_ would they put him and Maple in danger? _Why_ put the weight of all Hyrule on _his_ shoulders? He was barely an adult! And Maple...she was much too sweet and innocent for something like this!

"There! All done!" Maple said.

"Thanks," Link snapped, hearing his voice drip with the anger he was feeling toward whomever put them in this situation. He realized too late, however, that Maple had taken the anger she heard as directed toward her, because her face fell and her eyes were suddenly full of sadness.

"I - I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" She asked, timid.

Link sighed, trying to calm his voice. "No, sorry. I'm not mad at you. I'm just...thinking..."

"What're thinking about that's got you so angry?"

Link stared at her for a long moment, absentmindedly chewing on the inside of his cheek until he grimaced in pain. He then sighed. "I was just..."

His hands balled into fists, and he suddenly threw his fist down on the table next to him. "Why the _hell_ did the goddesses do this to us?" He yelled.

Maple started. "W - what do you mean?"

"I mean, why us? Why _me_? What's so _special_ about me that they feel as if they need to put the fate of an entire _country_ in _my_ hands? Huh? What the _hell_ is their deal!"

He looked up at Maple, realizing only then that, in his anger, his breathing was ragged and uneven. His eyes were even stinging painfully, threatening to let more emotions flow through them.

Maple's surprised look was suddenly replaced by a smile as she took his hands, gently uncurling his fingers from his palms. He felt a calm energy begin to flow through him and he sighed in relief.

"You're not alone," she said as her magic worked its way through him. "I'm here."

"So am I!" Navi said, springing out of his hat on the other side of the room.

"And, they chose you because you _are_ special," Maple continued. "You're kind and courageous. I don't know anyone else who would go to such lengths to help total strangers, and that's what a hero does. Even if you don't feel like you are right for this, you _are_."

Link smiled, the words settling nicely in his once angry thoughts. "You always know what to say..."

Maple giggled and stood up. "I'm a girl; girls _always_ say the right thing."

Link laughed. "Yeah, just tell yourself that and maybe girls _will_ start saying the right thing all of the time!"

Maple stuck out her tongue and then knelt down next to the fire, shifting the wood with a metal poker. Link just watched her, humming to herself as she tossed the wood around.

As he watched her, he felt his heart start to pound. He recognized the feeling: it had pounded like that just moments before he had kissed her in the forest. As he watched and his heart-rate increased, suddenly all he wanted to do was kiss her again.

Link stood up, silently and slowly, standing just behind her. She didn't notice, and continued to stir the fire. When she finally stood, she gasped when she turned and saw him standing there, inches away.

He reached up and lightly touched her bruised cheek. She didn't flinch or move, just stared at him with eyes full of surprise. He watched the emotions play across them as his hand ran over her cheeks, her nose. He swore he could hear her heart soar as his fingers lightly ran over her lips, her eyes closing as he did. His fingers then lightly ran over her now closed eyes, to her hair.

His hand found its way down to the curve of her jaw, where his thumb lightly caressed her cheek. His other arm wound its way around her waist, and he used it to pull her close to him.

Her lips were just as he remembered: soft, absolutely perfect. But this time, he didn't let himself be timid. He kissed her deeply this time, marveling at just how sweet she tasted, how their lips fit so perfectly together. At first, she seemed reluctant, stiff under his touch. But then she was kissing him as deeply as he was kissing her.

Link kissed her even deeper, pulling her so close that he felt every curve of her body against his own.

Within minutes their breathing was ragged, and Link's fingers were soon tracing the curves of her body, marveling again at just how perfect she was. They stopped at her waist, tugging at her sash, dropping it on the floor when it came loose. He then grabbed at her shirt, pulling it up and over her head. As he did, Maple's fingers found his belt and pulled, it falling to the floor with a loud 'thud'. He helped her pull his tunic over his head, her arms being too short to do it on her own.

Link grabbed her around her waist, spinning her across the room. He tripped, falling, and for a moment he almost gasped. Instead he laughed, Maple joining in, as they fell on something soft, but what it was he didn't really care. All he wanted was her lips on his, her soft skin against his own... He couldn't have enough of her...

Their laughing stopped quite abruptly, and they were once again kissing each other eagerly. For just a moment, he wondered what was going on with him; why he felt this way, why his body did what it did. But the thought was fleeting, gone almost as fast as it had come, distracted by the feel of the skin of her waist.

There was another soft 'thud' as the rest of their clothes fell to the floor. For another fleeting moment, he wondered just what he was doing, what he was _supposed_ to do.

His body answered for him, coming up with its own rhythm as he rocked into and with her. Maple flinched and Link paused, wondering if he had hurt her. But her deep sigh as she clung to him told him otherwise. The sound was like music to him, exciting him even more than he already was.

They rolled, laughed, giggled, and moaned, all the while lost in their own world of pleasure. Their rhythm changed every few minutes, at times slow, compassionate as they continued to kiss. Other times fast as her nails dug into his back, both crying out in unison. Link was completely consumed by the joy inside of him, realizing that they were now one. He loved her; always had and always will, and now he got to see just how much she loved him, how much she had been holding back.

They finally collapsed, after who knew how long. The sun poked through the curtains on the window, setting their glistening bodies aglow. It was all he could do to breathe, feeling as if he had run the entire length of Hyrule, his pounding heart agreeing with every beat.

He felt like he was _soaring_.

After his breathing finally slowed, he looked down to see Maple sound asleep, her head propped up on his arm, which was wrapped around her like a blanket. He smirked at the small smile still on her lips, the flush across her cheeks. He lightly kissed her forehead, moved away the hair clinging to her face. She didn't move an inch, her arm and leg wrapped around him. Her breath chilling his still moist skin.

He closed his eyes, resting his head on top of hers.

"I love you," he whispered.

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><p><strong>Definitely one of my shorter chapters but...who cares right? XD This is also my <em>first EVA<em> love scene, so I hope I did okay O_o Didn't want it to be _too_ crazy ya know...**

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Yay! Broke 50 reviews last night! *Squeals***

**I'm glad that you guys liked my last chap. It was my first love scene, so let's say I was more than a little nervous about how you guys would like it. Actually, I never originally intended there to be a love scene in this story, but you know how characters seem to write themselves sometimes :P**

**Thank you guys so much! I love seeing so many reviews at once :)**

**... You know, I keep telling myself to work on my novel a little more, so I can get it published... But who am I kidding? All I can think about is Link and Maple (well, I think about Link a lot, so that's nothing new ) :P You might call it a version of writer's block... haha, considering the only story I'm having issues with is my novel XD**

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><p><em>So this is what love feels like...<em>

That was the first thought to cross my mind when I felt myself slowly coming to. The next few thoughts were about how sore I was, and in places I had never been sore before.

That's when I remembered. Everything came flooding back into my mind as I realized that my arm and leg were wrapped around something that was breathing. My eyes sprang open, and I took in many things at once: it was dark outside, and the long cold coals in the fireplace told me that we had slept through the day; our tunics laying on the floor in front of the fireplace; the fact that both of us were still completely naked.

I also noticed that I wasn't the only one awake. Link was lying next to me, the covers pulled up to his waist, arms folded behind his head. He was staring at the ceiling, a look of utter concentration on his face.

My next thought: _what have I done?_

I suddenly shook with sobs as I pushed myself away from him, sitting up against the wall. I felt him jump at my sudden outburst: apparently, he hadn't noticed that I was awake.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice thick with concern as he sat up and stroked my back. The love and care I heard in his voice made me cry even harder. I pulled my knees up to my chest, along with the covers, and sobbed into them.

What had I done? I had _slept_ with a _nine year old_! It didn't matter that his body was that of a man of sixteen; his mind was only _nine_!

"Maple? Maple!" Link yelled. Even if I had wanted to answer, I couldn't. My sobs shook my entire body, making speech impossible.

"Maple, please! Was it last night? ... Answer me, love, please!"

I managed to nod, despite my shaking.

"Did I...hurt you?"

I shook my head.

"Then what's wrong?"

I took a deep, shuttering breath and managed to say, "I - I'm - a - a - _pedophile_!"

That was clearly not what Link was expecting. "W - what?"

I sobbed some more, but I was now so angry with myself that I was able to speak loud and clear. "You're only nine! _How_ could I let myself do this? And to someone so young!"

I watched as many different emotions played across his eyes. He then frowned. "I'm _not_ nine. I'm sixteen, in case you haven't noticed... Which, according to last night, you have."

I glared. "You have the body of one, but inside you're still a child!"

"You honestly think that? Even after last night?" He huffed. "Just because I missed my childhood doesn't mean that I haven't grown up since! You think that, after all we've been through in the last few days, I'm still a kid? I've grown up more in the last few days than I did during the nine years I spent in the forest!"

Link puffed out his chest, and I sobbed harder. He had done that many times when we were young, only proving to myself more that he was still so young.

It took a moment before he seemed to notice, and he finally deflated. "Listen, okay? _Without_ interrupting or telling me how terrible it was..."

I calmed myself, my body still shaking, but I managed to nod.

"No matter how you feel, or what you think, last night was...the best night I have ever had." He paused. "I have a right to say how I feel about what happened, and I think you're wrong. Last night was all about...how much we love each other. It shouldn't matter that I never had a proper childhood. What matters is that _I_ wanted to as much as you. I could have stopped at any time, but I didn't. And neither did you, I might add." He smirked. "Honestly, you can't think that it was _that_ terrible. I mean, the look on your face - "

I held up a hand, stopping him. "I never said it was terrible. It was...nice - "

"'Nice'?" His face fell slightly. I felt the corner of my mouth twitch. Even though he was still so young mentally, he was still concerned about his performance... _What_ a guy...

"Well, better than nice, really. More like...wonderful." I sighed. "But that's not what is bothering me. It's the fact that - "

"I don't care!" He yelled, cutting me off. I started. "If the only thing you hated about last night was because of the strange way I grew up, then save it. I have as much of a say in this as you do."

I stared at him for a long moment, finally sighing as I buried my face in my knees. "You're right, I guess. You're a man. You have every right to do what you want..."

I heard Link chuckle and felt the bed rock as he got up. I peaked out of the corner of my eye, taking in his extremely toned body. And marveling at the fact that it was _mine_! I felt my cheeks flush.

Link pulled on his pants and then stretched, his hands splayed out above his head. "I'm going to go check on Epona. Alright with you?" He asked, smirking at me out of the corner of his eye. I didn't miss how his eyes darted longingly to my body, much like mine had.

"She's your horse. Not going to stop you."

Just before Link reached the door, we heard a sigh like ringing bells. Link and I instantly locked eyes. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had forgotten about Navi. Both of our faces flushed a deep red.

"Um, hi, Navi," Link said, clearly embarrassed.

"Don't worry; not going to say anything," she said flying over to Link as I pulled the covers around me. "The act of love-making isn't a shameful one, so I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear or see anything and ask when we're going to set out for the Water Temple."

I felt my face flush. Even though Navi's words seemed innocent enough, I hadn't missed the slightly mocking tone to her voice.

"Hm. Good question." Link turned to me. "When _are_ we heading to the temple?"

I slowly crawled off of the bed, pulling the covers with me. "No idea. Honestly, after yesterday's fight, I think we earned a couple days of rest. But if you want to head out in the morning then we can."

Link shrugged. "I don't think Ganondorf is going to destroy Hyrule anymore than he already has in the next few days, so I agree."

There was a glint in his eye that made my face flush even deeper. I hid it by walking to my dresser and pulling out a nightgown, disappearing behind the dressing screen as I did.

"You know," Link said as I dropped the blanket wrapped around me and pulled on my gown. "I've seen you naked. No need to hide from me anymore."

I heard Navi sigh at the same time as me. "But I'm sure Navi wouldn't appreciate it as much as you."

There was a slight pause. "Oh, yeah. Right." The door then opened and closed.

A whooshing sound announced Navi's appearance next to me as I brushed through my hair.

"Honestly, I'm happy for you two," she said when I turned to her. "Being with someone you love is one of the greatest treasures in the world... But I agree with what you said."

I sighed. "I know, and I don't blame you. But Link's stubborn and won't admit that it was too soon for him."

Navi giggled. "That he is."

Link returned after a few moments. Remnants of hay littered his pants, as well as his chest. He yawned, stretching again as he closed the door behind him.

"Epona's good for the night," he said, walking over to the long burnt out fire. "I'll light the fire okay? It's a little chilly out there..."

I could tell that it was: Link's skin was still covered in goose bumps.

"Alright," I sighed, settling in the chair to watch.

Once the fire was good and hot, I stirred the leftover stew. As I served it, I made a mental note to go shopping in the morning. Link deserved a large, homemade meal that didn't involve broth. We both did. Link didn't complain, however, the smirk on his face impossible to wipe away as we ate.

After our bowls were clean, Link pulled me into his lap, kissing me as he did. I smiled, feeling my heart soar. I was happy for the first time in a very, very long time. I never wanted it to end.

I snuggled my head into the crook of his neck, feeling him kiss my forehead tenderly. He kissed it again, again. I then heard him laugh as the pecks became playful, as if every one of them was stolen. I laughed along with him.

"I... I love you," I whispered, after our laughter died away.

I felt him sigh as he ran his hand down my back, massaging it gently. "I love you, too."

I don't remember falling asleep, but my eyes fluttered open when Link carried me over to the bed, leaving to grab the blanket on the other side of the room. He then laid down next to me, and I was out.

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><p>Link wasn't far behind me as we walked across the village, each of us holding a woven basket. We were laughing at a joke Link had told a few moments before: even Navi's ringing laugh had joined in.<p>

Before we reached the store, however, Cinna came up. He was the man whose parents had given me the house (and he _gratefully_ took the credit for the idea). He had bright red hair and freckles, and was kinda scrawny.

"Ah, Maple. Looking lovely as usual," he said. Since my other hand was full because of the basket, I couldn't stop him from grabbing my hand and kissing the back of it.

"Um, hi, Cinna," I said, the look on Link's face scaring me slightly. Cinna didn't notice the death glare he was receiving. Actually, I had a feeling that he hadn't even noticed Link at all.

"You know, I was telling my mother that it's quite a shame that you're living in that house all alone," he said, ignoring the fact that I was trying to pull my hand free from his.

"I, uh, have to get to the store - "

"So I suggested to her - "

"Cinna, please, let - "

"that I present you with a dowry - "

"CINNA - "

"and then I could take back the house - "

There was a crash, and I jumped as Link grabbed Cinna's hand, pulling back his wrist so that his grip on my hand disappeared. I rubbed at my hand, where Cinna had been gripping tight enough to leave a small bruise.

"I believe the woman told you to let her go," Link said, his voice absolutely menacing. It was the first time I actually saw him as intimidating.

"How dare you!" Cinna said, trying his best to intimidate Link. The effect was...quite hilarious, to say the least.

"'How dare _me_?'! How dare you! Putting your hands on a lady when she clearly doesn't want you to!" Link forcefully threw down Cinna's hand, the motion knocking the smaller man backwards a few steps.

"W - who do you think you are?" Cinna exclaimed as he rubbed at his arm.

Link walked up to him, glaring down at him, and I backed away. Remind me not to get on his bad side... That glare was..._intense_.

"I am hers," Link said, saying each word slowly and clearly.

Cinna looked back and forth between the two of us, his mouth moving wordlessly. He finally stuttered, "O - oh I s - see. I didn't know." Cinna then ducked and ran off, his feet practically kicking up dust.

I sighed, reaching down for Link's basket. "The minute you show up, I start getting marriage proposals from every man in the village... Even the married ones..." I handed Link back the basket, and didn't miss the hurt in his eyes. I could also feel it, rolling off of him. "Not that I'm saying you coming back is bad: exact opposite actually... Just saying, it's kinda odd..."

Link recovered, smirking at me as he took not only his basket, but mine. "Not really. You _are_ beautiful."

We picked up various amounts of food: Link, who was used to living off of fruits and vegetables, grabbed some from almost every category. I grabbed meat, rice, fresh-squeezed juice, more bread. We then went back to my house, baskets full to the brim, wallets lighter.

Our meal that night was absolutely delicious: steak, rice, steamed veggies. For desert we had some cake and fruit. By the time night fell, our stomaches were comfortably full (Link's moaning told me that he had probably eaten _too_ much), and all either of us wanted to do was go back to sleep.

It was a nice rest, and well deserved. And as we curled up under the covers of the bed, my head on his shoulder, I couldn't help but pray that this is what life would be like for us, after Hyrule was safe.

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><p>We woke early the next morning. Link helped me pack, wrapping up the leftover fruits in a soft cloth, along with some water. I packed the rice and vegetables leftover from dinner. We then dressed, me into an olive green tunic and grey leggings, and Link back into his traditional green. I took a moment to repair the rips and tears in it before we set out.<p>

Epona seemed to be glad to finally be on the move, neighing happily as we rode through the village.

We didn't get very far, however.

The moment we walked off the trail into Hyrule Field, a horse greeted us. It was completely black, blacker than the night sky, with gentle brown eyes. Its mane and tail were extremely long, dragging in the grass at its feet.

Link pulled Epona to a stop and we hopped down. Almost the moment my feet touched the grass, the horse approached me, nudging me with its nose. I then realized that _it_ was a _she_.

"Hello, there," I cooed, reaching out and patting the horse's soft nose.

The moment my fingers touched her, I was given a vision. It was extremely short, and so fast that I almost didn't realize that it had happened. But the knowledge and truth of the vision was clear to me.

"She's mine," I mumbled.

"What?" Link asked, as his hand disappeared into the horse's mane.

"She's mine. The goddesses sent her to me: a gift."

Link stared at me and her for a long moment. He then breathed, "Whoa." Link then smirked. "What's her name?"

It was strange, like the horse's thoughts brushed with mine, whispering a name.

"Midnight," I answered, without hesitation.

Link studied her for a long moment. "It fits," he finally said, "though don't you think it's a little cliche?"

I shook my head. "Her name was given to her by the goddesses. She told me."

"She...told you?" I nodded. Link then nodded as well. "Okay. Midnight it is." He patted her neck. "Nice to meet you, Midnight!"

Midnight snorted and tossed her head in reply.

She had no saddle or reins, so once I was on her back I just stared down at her elegant neck. Link had already swung his leg over Epona, so we was staring at us, slightly confused.

"How do you control her?" He asked.

I shrugged. "No idea." I had never been taught how to control a horse without reins, so I was as lost as he was. "Maybe you should lead and we'll follow."

Link nodded. "Alright. Where are we going?"

As the words entered my thoughts, but had not yet been spoken, Midnight reared, causing me to grip her neck for support. And then she was off, heading toward the mouth of the river without a second glance back.


	32. Chapter 32

**So, again, thanks for the rave reviews you guys :3! I really appreciate how much you all like this story!**

**Oh, and no, Odnet (sorry, full name is sorta a mouthful and I keep forgetting how to spell it ;D), Midnight isn't a cameo from _Between Fantasy and Reality. _I actually didn't start reading that story until a couple of days ago, and Midnight is _still_ Maple's horse in The Fourth Goddess (appears for the first time in chap 3: Maple). I started TFG in 2007, so yeah :)**

**Oh, and you guys should check out OdnetninAdlez's fanfic, Visions. It's really good so far :)**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

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><p>Maple was out of sight in just a few sort moments. Link pushed Epona faster than she had ever run and was still far behind. He had always thought that Epona was the fastest horse in Hyrule, but apparently she wasn't anymore.<p>

Link had to give Epona credit, however. Midnight _was_ a creation of the goddesses.

Link saw a dark shape ahead of them, and because the sun had not yet fully risen, he wasn't able to see just what it was clearly. When he got closer, however, he realized that it was Midnight and Maple, both waiting for him.

Link's heart almost instantly soared at the sight of her. Goddess, she was beautiful, and every time he saw her, he thought about that night. She was all _his_! No one else's: not even that scrawny man, Cinna, could take away the joy and love he felt for her.

"How did you get her to stop?" Link asked, once she was in ear-shot.

"I just..._told_ her to..."

"You just...'told her'...?"

Maple nodded. "Yes. It's almost like our thoughts are connected. I think something or say it, and she obeys."

"Is that why she took off?"

"Yes. I was about to tell you that we need to go to Zora's Domain, but before I even said it, she took off..."

Link nodded. He didn't know whether to think of that as useful or a burden. "Well, let's go then."

Link settled Epona into a gentle canter, and Midnight moved right next to her, their gaits almost identical. He also couldn't help but notice how graceful Maple was on Midnight.

It took them about an hour to get to the mouth of the river. Some enemies tried to attack, but the two of them used their bows to take down all that apposed, Link using his sword to take down stragglers. Epona had started to rear and run away when the enemies approached, but Midnight was like her foundation, keeping her cool headed as she saw that her fellow horse was firm in her stance.

The closer they got to the waterfall, Link couldn't help but notice that the amount of enemies attacking them thinned out. He also noticed that it was...snowing.

The trail eventually became so steep and narrow, that they had to leave behind the horses. Maple told Midnight to stay close, and Link was surprised by the amount of intelligence in her eyes as she neighed in agreement.

"Make sure Epona stays here as well," Maple said as she pat Midnight on her nose. She neighed again. "Alright, let's go."

The walk up the trail soon turned cold. Despite the fact that his tunic was ideal for cooler weather, he could feel the bite of the wind through it. Even Maple had begun to shiver, and he wrapped his arm around her to keep her warm.

When they reached the waterfall, Link quickly pulled out his Ocarina, playing the lullaby. The water responded by going still, and they easily jumped the gap into the revealed cavern. When they got inside, they realized just how bad it was.

There was not a Zora in sight, and every inch of the domain was covered in a thick sheet of ice. The temperature dropped dramatically, to the point that Maple reached in her pouch and pulled an olive green scarf, which matched her tunic. She wrapped it around her, it draping over her shoulders and back to keep her body warm. She then surprised him by handing him one for him: it was a deep black, and warmed him almost the exact moment it fell over his arms.

"How did you...?" He asked.

"The water in the river has been cold these last couple of years, so I just had a feeling."

Again, her feelings had been right.

They followed the small path down to the water. There they discovered that the shop entrance was covered in a thick sheet of a strange, red ice. No matter what they did, they couldn't melt it. Not even when Maple conjured balls of fire in her hands and threw them at the ice: the fire just sizzled and disappeared. Even the ice covering the water was too thick for Maple to melt.

As Maple worked at trying to melt the ice, Link wandered out onto the ice. He knelt down, brushing away the snow covering the surface...

He screamed, falling backwards.

"What's wrong?" Maple yelled, running up to him.

His heart pounded, surprised at what he had seen. Not exactly what he had been expecting to see... "I - I think I know what happened to the Zora..." He pointed his finger to the spot he had just cleared.

Maple walked over and bent down, gasping. "Oh no!" Link got up and stood next to her, looking down.

Staring back up at them was the face of a very frightened Zora, amethyst eyes wide with fear, mouth agape. Clearly the Zoras had been well aware of their fate when Ganondorf sealed this place in ice.

"How horrible..." Maple muttered.

Link looked down at the face staring up at them, and wondered what happened to the Princess and King. Were they frozen in ice as well? Were they, perhaps, under their feet right now?

"What're you thinking?" Maple asked, without even turning to look back at him. "I can practically _hear_ the gears in your head turning."

Link chuckled. "Just wondering if the King and Princess are down there."

Maple straightened and shook her head. "No. They would be up in the throne room."

There was a moment of silence, where they stared at each other as Navi popped out from his hat and looked at the Zora as well. Then, quite suddenly, the two of them took off toward the path at top speed. Link heard Navi squeal as they reached the stairs to the throne room, followed by a frantic fluttering of wings. Apparently, she hadn't seen them leave.

Link saw the red glow a few steps from the top. His suspicions were then confirmed as they reached the top of the staircase: the King was still sitting at the throne, completely incased by a sheet of red ice, the same red ice that blocked off the shop below.

"But...where's the Princess?" Maple asked when she saw the King frozen in time.

"I don't know. What should we do?" Maple didn't answer and instead started looking around.

Link followed her example, looking for any clues that might lead them in the right direction. As we was looking, he realized that the King had been frozen as he was in the middle of shifting, so part of the corridor behind him was exposed...

"Maybe we can go ask Lord Jabu-Jabu," Link suggested. "There's just enough space behind the King to squeeze through."

Maple nodded and then jumped, grabbing onto the edge of the pedestal where the King sat. She pulled herself up and Link followed.

As they walked down the corridor, Link noticed that water was starting to seep through some holes and cracks in the ice. The ice then disappeared altogether, leaving behind freezing cold water that seeped in through their boots.

They emerged into the fountain, and Link immediately saw that Lord Jabu-Jabu was gone. Snow was falling from the sky, large icebergs floated on top of the water. It was very different from the last time he had come here.

Link and Maple walked over to the platform on which the head of Lord Jabu-Jabu had once rested. Once up there, they realized that there was a platform of ice, leading out into the middle of the small lake. It was suspended over a nearby iceberg.

"What do we do?" He asked Maple, after she appeared next to him. She looked around before answering.

"There is a cavern, over there." Link followed her finger, and indeed saw that there was a cavern in the wall, on the other side of the lake. "We can reach it if we hop across the ice."

It proved to be more difficult than they had imagined. The icebergs were extremely slick, and any weight on them would cause them to lean to one side. Link fell in the water below about halfway across, and the sudden shift in weight caused the iceberg to tip to one side, throwing Maple off as well. The water was cold and chilled them both to the bone.

_Great_, Link thought to himself, _We go from nearly burning to death to freezing our butts off_.

Getting back on the iceberg proved to be even more difficult. Their soaked skin mixed with the slippery ice made it extremely difficult to even get a grip on the edge of the ice. And whenever they did manage to get a grip, once they put their weight on their hands the iceberg would tip and throw them back off.

"T - this isn't w - working!" Maple stuttered as the iceberg threw her off again.

Link suddenly got an idea.

"C - come h - here," he managed to say. She swam to him, her limbs oddly stiff from the chill of the water. Her lips were now slightly purple, and he knew his were as well.

He grabbed her around her waist, kissed her lightly on her forehead, and then threw her up.

In the few short seconds she was in the air, she screamed. But she spun, pointing her feet down, and when she landed she crouched, staying as still as possible so the iceberg wouldn't tip too far. Once it was still, she straightened and smiled, using her magic to dry herself off.

"Alright, get ready to grab the edge. I'll balance it out so hopefully it won't throw you off."

Link grabbed the edge, waiting until she stood on the opposite side of the iceberg before putting his weight on his hands. Once it started to tip from her weight, he hoisted himself up, his arms slightly shaky because of the cold. But it worked, and Link was able to pull himself up and onto the berg without issue. His heavier frame, however, caused the iceberg to start to tip in his direction.

Maple quickly dried him and then turned and jumped onto the next iceberg. Link's shoes slipped as he ran across, jumping just in time. His landing was shaky, the iceberg tipping to one side. Maple was already on the next iceberg and still going.

He kept going, trying his best not to slip back into the water. He almost did, twice, but his dread of falling back into the ice cold water gave him the speed and strength to dive away from the edge of the iceberg, tipping it back the other way.

When he was two more icebergs away from the cavern, he briefly looked up to see Maple already there, waiting for him. He guessed that the fact she was light made it easier for her to maneuver the icebergs.

He jumped again, this time his boots loosing grip altogether, causing him to fall on his side. The fall sent painful pricks up his side and down his back. He didn't have time to pout, however, for the iceberg started to tip again and fast.

Link stood, quickly, which was very difficult. He then lunged forward, expecting to land on another iceberg. But he was surprised when he felt someone grab his hand, pulling him forward. He knew that hand anywhere.

"Thanks," he said to Maple, after he was safely in the cavern.

"You looked like you were having some issues, so I couldn't just sit here." She laughed. "Though it _was_ funny to watch."

Link huffed. "Sure it was."

The cavern narrowed slowly, and soon they were in a corridor completely incased in ice: it hung from the ceiling, and snow clung to the ground. Each step they took resounded with a loud 'crunch' off of the walls. As they walked, shards of ice fell from the ceiling, and they barely avoided getting speared by a few of them.

They kept following it as it wound around to the left, and then right. They then emerged into a cavernous room, the floor made of frozen ice, much like back in the domain. In the middle of the room were three strange ice sculptures, and spinning around the outside of the room was a metal blade, much like the ones he had seen in Dodongo's Cavern so many years ago.

"Be careful," Maple said as he started to walk forward, "those sculptures are alive, and I don't think they'll like us being here too much."

"What do you mean?"

"I can sense them."

Link nodded, pulling out his bow. He let one fly, right at the closest of the three statues.

It did nothing. The only thing it did was wake the three statues, and they started to slide toward them.

"Guess I'm going to have to do this the old-fashioned way," Link muttered to himself. He pulled out his sword, swinging it easily in his hand.

He felt the adrenaline build in him, and it surprised him. He was actually starting to _enjoy_ himself, anticipating the next fight in a way he hadn't expected to feel before. He spun his sword even faster, holding up his shield. He felt a smirk knit its way across his face. He heard Maple sigh and then giggle from behind him.

Link lunged forward, his sword cutting a good chunk from the statue. When his arm brushed against its cold surface, however, he yelled in pain. It was so cold that it left a burn on his forearm.

Link jumped back, avoiding a jet of freezing air that left him shivering even though it hadn't touched him. He spun in the air, bringing down his sword, cutting the statue completely in half. It moaned before collapsing.

Link turned toward the other two, both of whom had slid closer to him during the fight. He spun around, cutting both in half in one blow. He then brought down his sword, twice, one for each monster still left.

When they were slain, Link once again thought to himself that he was enjoying this way too much as he swung his sword behind his back, sheathing it.

"Having fun?" Maple asked as she easily jumped over the blade spinning around the room and joined him.

"Yep."

"Well let's take the fun down that corridor. It opened up after you destroyed those Freezzards."

"Freezzards? That's what they were called?"

"Yep. Let's go."

The next room held a giant, spinning blade, much like a propeller. They had to quickly collect five silver rupees, which were floating around the room, to open the door to the next room. It was simple enough: the hardest part was avoiding getting chopped in half by the blade. Once they were all collected, the door opened and they climbed up to it.

The corridor they walked through had more moving blades and a Freezzard, which was easily dispatched. Afterwards, they emerged into a large room, with many different platforms suspended above them, ledges acting as walkways between then. Link and Maple worked together to take down the Ice Keese flying around the room, and then Link walked along the platforms, slashing down more Freezzards. After the room was clear, Link and Maple walked up to a cauldron that was full to the brim with a strange blue fire.

"This blue fire..." Navi said when they approached it, "it doesn't seem natural. Maybe you can use it for something?"

Maple extended her hand out. Link was about to tell her to be careful, when he realized that the fire was harmlessly caressing her fingers.

"It's..._cold_," she said, a look of awe on her face. "How...strange."

"Maybe we can use it to melt that red ice?" Link suggested.

He watched as she removed her hand, looking at it oddly. She then curled her fingers and, a moment later, a ball of blue flame appeared in it.

"Go ahead and bottle some of this, incase I forget how to conjure it, alright?"

"Alright, sounds like a deal."

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><p><strong>Jeese, feel like it took me forever to right this chapter... Seems I spoke to soon regarding writer's block XD<strong>


	33. Chapter 33

**Aw, Odnet, you're an absolute sweetheart :3 Not only do you compliment my 'saintly' personality ;), you wish me luck on my novel! It's readers like you that keep me going XD**

**... You got the 'saintly' joke, right? Sarcasm is _sooo_ hard to portray in writing O_o**

**Thanks to all of my readers! Keep reviewing! At this rate, might hit 100 by the end of the year :D**

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><p>I watched as Link filled as many bottles as he could with the fire. He then walked over to another platform, where a chest was concealed in red ice. Since there was a caldron of the blue fire just feet behind us, he went ahead and used some of the fire from one of his bottles. Neither of us were surprised to find that his assumption about the fire was right: the red ice melted away easily and quickly.<p>

"A map?" Link asked, his face a literal question mark. "So, is this the Water Temple, then?"

I shook my head. "The Water Temple is hidden at the bottom of Lake Hylia. I really have no idea what's so special about this cavern that it needs a map..."

Link shrugged. "Oh well, I guess. Might as well explore the rest of this place to see what's so special about it."

Link quickly filled his now empty bottle with fire, and then we went back out to the room with the spinning blades. We quickly turned left, ducking below the blades so as not to loose our heads, and used some of the fire on some more of that strange ice, revealing a passageway. Walking down it, we emerged into a small circular room, at the far end of which was another caldron of blue fire.

Link and I took a moment to take down some sleeping Keese before approaching another frozen chest on the right side of the room. Inside of it was a compass. We then approached the caldron and filled all of Link's empty bottles before going back to the other room.

In the blade room, we melted another passage free, this one leading to a large, rectangular room. There were three or four Ice Keese flying around, which we took down quite easily. We then realized that there were many flat stalagmites sticking up from the floor, most of which had a large, silver rupee on it. In front of us was a large block of ice, just tall enough that, if we could get it against one of the stalagmites, Link could use it to get the rupees.

The next few minutes were spent figuring out where to push the block. Since the floor and it were completely made of ice, once we pushed it would keep sliding, clear across the room. So we had to be smart and think it through.

Link was smarter than I had really ever given him credit for. I stood back and watched as he pushed the block around with ease, seeming to know exactly where to push it, picking up rupees along the way. One of them was frozen in red ice, which I gladly got rid of for him. In less time then I expected, Link had all the rupees and the block was pushed up to the now open doorway on the left side of the room.

More Freezzards blocked our path inside of the next corridor, but Link took it down with a smile on his face. I just shook my head, marveling at the fact that he was truly enjoying himself. We had to melt some more red ice farther up the corridor before moving on. At the end was a door, made completely of ice. Link opened it, and we found ourselves in a very strange room.

This room clearly was a vein for some sort of crystal, because the walls and ceiling sparkled and glowed as if from within. Strange crystals protruded from the ground. We didn't get to marvel at it for long, however. The moment we walked in, the door locked behind us.

A giant White Wolfos appeared, howling. Its eyes were a scarlet red, and its claws were almost as long as Link's sword. It was considerably larger than the Wolfos we had encountered in the Forest Temple.

I stayed back, watching as Link and the creature circled each other. Link spun his sword around playfully, a smirk playing on his lips as he did. I couldn't help but notice that Link was really getting good at this: his reflexes were incredible! Just a slight movement of the Wolfos's arm, and Link's shield went up, blocking the incoming strike with ease. Link then took his opportunity, slashing down with his sword since the creature's back was turned.

It was an easy kill: at least, I got that notion from the look on Link's face when it fell and died after the first blow. He frowned slightly, as if he had been expecting more.

A treasure chest appeared. Link went to it quickly, finding inside a pair of finely crafted boots, the bottoms of which were laden with iron. By the sight of Link's bulging arm muscles as he picked them up, they were heavy. Heavy enough to walk on the bottom of a lake perhaps...

I suddenly sensed someone's presence and quickly turned around. We were no longer alone, but our companion wasn't an enemy.

It was Sheik.

_Where does this guy _come_ from?_ I couldn't help but ask myself.

"We meet again, Link..."

"Sheik?" Link exclaimed.

"If you came here to meet the Zoras, you wasted your time..." Link's brows furrowed. "This is all there is... With one exception, the Zoras are now sealed under this thick ice sheet..."

"'With one exception'? What do you mean?" I asked.

"I managed to rescue the Zora princess from under the ice, but...she left to head for the Water Temple..."

"Where did all this ice come from? Why did this happen?"

"This ice was created by an evil curse..."

"A curse?" Link asked.

"The monster in the Water Temple is the source of the curse," Sheik said.

"Which means...unless we destroy the monster..."

"Unless you shut off the source, this ice will never melt... If you have courage enough to confront the danger and save the Zoras, I will teach you the melody that leads to the temple." Sheik sighed. "Time passes, people move... Like a river's flow, it never ends... A childish mind will turn to noble ambition..."

I glanced at Link.

"Young love will become deep affection..." Sheik took in the two of us. "The clear water's surface reflects growth... Now listen to the Serenade of Water to reflect upon yourself..."

It was definitely one of the more beautiful songs I had heard them play. I swayed with the music, much like they did, and even couldn't help but sing along after hearing it a few times. It was like the song was telling the story of passing time... And it was the only time I had ever seen time as something beautiful.

"Link... I'll see you again..."

I shook my head, still slightly out of it because of the song. "Wait!" I exclaimed. "Tell me, who are - "

But there was a flash of light, and he was gone.

I wanted to know so badly who this man was. He always said something so wise, always giving us good advice. Just who was he?

"Come on," Link said, lightly pulling on my arm, "we should get out of here."

"Where do we go?" I asked, noticing that the door was now locked again.

"There is a passage, it looks like, behind the treasure chest..."

The apprehension in his voice made me look up at him. "But...?"

"But the passageway is filled with water..."

I shivered, remembering just how cold that water outside had been. Why couldn't we _ever_ be comfortable while fighting bad guys, huh?

"Looks like we have no other option..."

Link quickly swapped his boots and stood next to the edge of water. I looked down, goose bumps already rising on my skin with the thought of how cold the water would be. Link wrapped his arms around me before I could change my mind, and he stepped over the edge.

The water instantly seized up my muscles. I heard Link gasp under the water, letting out a huge air bubble. I quickly signaled for him to close his mouth, and he did. I didn't quite have the power to enable others to last underwater for long periods of time: that was a spell only for me.

There was a door at the bottom. I shifted, wrapping my arms around his neck as he pulled the door up with his hands. I could see the strain in his face: clearly, he had let out too much air when he gasped.

Luckily, the passage on the other side instantly sloped upward, and our heads broke the surface, Link gasping for breath. I couldn't help but wonder to myself just how Link was going to survive in an underwater temple... Actually, if the water in the lake was _this_ cold, I didn't know how either of us would.

I quickly dried us while Link swapped back to his normal boots. Link dropped the heavier pair into his pouch, turning to me once they disappeared.

"I keep forgetting to thank you," he said.

"For what?"

"For the spell you put on my pouch. It carries so much, yet is light as a feather..."

I smiled. "No need to thank me."

Link smirked, holding out his hand to me. "Now let's go, love."

The corridor led to the first room, suspended high above so we could clearly see the path of the metal blade spinning around the room. Link and I jumped down, slowed by my magic. We then walked back down the very first corridor, and back outside.

I had forgotten how cold it was out here: even colder than inside. Link looked at me with apprehension. He wasn't looking forward to jumping back across the icebergs. Neither of us had a choice, however.

About halfway across, I finally sighed and dove into the water. No matter how cold it was, it would be quicker to swim to shore than to spend half an hour maneuvering our way across the bergs. I heard Link holler after me, but the chattering of my teeth was too loud to hear what he said. I then felt the water ripple as he swam up next to me.

"W - what are you d - doing?" He managed to ask, swimming next to me.

"F - faster."

Link just nodded and followed me.

Within a few seconds, we were back on shore. I quickly dried us with my magic, not wanting to be cold and wet any longer. We then walked back toward the domain, where we would hopefully be able to free the King and get the shop up and running.

Despite the fact that the two of us were now adults, the King was still huge compared to us. After melting the ice incased around him, he looked down at us gratefully and clapped his hands together.

"Oh - I've come back to life!" He exclaimed. "Was it you who saved me?" He mistook our shivers from the cold as shivers of fear, for suddenly he laughed. "Don't be nervous!"

"Y - yes, we are," Link said.

The King then looked us up and down. "It looks like you have a hard time breathing underwater. As an expression of my gratitude, I grant you this tunic. With this, you won't choke underwater."

The King held out a blue tunic. Link took it gratefully. The King then looked at me.

"Do you need one too, miss? I have none made for a female, but I have one that'll work all the same."

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

"But you have no gills!"

I waved my hand. "I have no need for one. Thank you for your generosity, your highness."

The King looked at me for a long moment, and then tilted his head. "No, thank you."

As we left, I swore I heard the King mutter, "Ah, I see... Princess Ruto went to the Water Temple..."

"Why did you not take one?" Link asked me once we were out of earshot.

"Like I said, I have no need. My magic is enough."

Link nodded.

We went downstairs, unblocking the shop entrance with some of the blue fire. There was nothing in the shop that we needed, but the shopkeeper was grateful all the same.

Once outside, we found that it was raining heavily. Link was about to play the song to teleport us to the Water Temple, but I stopped him.

"We have to do something with the horses first. We can't just leave them there!"

Link nodded. "You're right. Let's ride them down to Lake Hylia instead. Then they'll be there when we're done."

Despite the fact that we were now very hungry and ready to take a rest, we rode all through the night to the lake. It was raining much too hard for us to rest properly. We rode until the entrance to the lake was in sight, when the rain finally stopped.

"That's...odd," Link said as we hopped off our horses.

"What's odd?"

"The rain stops here, just before the lake. Why is that?"

"Maybe we just missed the rain?"

Link shook his head. "The grass here is dry, like it hasn't rained here in awhile."

Huh... He was right. I _really_ needed to work on my 'situational awareness'.

"Let's make camp," Link said as he tied the horses up to a nearby fence, "and we'll head to the temple in the morning."

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><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed :)<strong>


	34. Chapter 34

**Classes start for me tomorrow, so I don't know just how fast I'll be updating from now on. But, I only have classes two days a week, so I'll try really hard to work on this as much as I can :)**

**And now, the temple we've all been waiting for... Well, some of us, anyways :) Including me :)**

**Enjoy XD**

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><p>It was nothing like he remembered.<p>

Their rest had passed too quickly, eating leftovers before falling asleep, sleeping through the day. It was now night, and as Link looked over what used to be Lake Hylia, he couldn't help but gasp.

The once large lake was no more. He had remembered it as being large, full of crystal clear water of which he had been able to easily see the bottom of, so far below them. Now, there was no more than twenty feet of water pooled at the bottom of the lake, and the water was murky and stale.

"Oh goddess," Maple said from next to him.

Despite the sadness in his heart, his mouth twitched at her words. He knew deep down that she was this goddess he was supposed to find, even if she wouldn't admit it. She was immortal, with powers unlike any he had ever seen: how could she not be? And yet, here she was, either sending out a silent prayer or using her nature as a curse. The thought made him smile.

"What happened here?" Maple asked as Epona nudged Link between his shoulder blades. He reached behind him and patted her nose.

"It seems the freezing over of Zora's Domain has had its effects on Hyrule..." He muttered.

"You've got that right," Maple said as she approached the edge of the shore, where the water used to rest. Link joined her after the horses walked away to do their own thing.

It was strange, the dirt that used to be the under the water. Traces of dead sea plants littered the rocks, and the dirt had the consistency of something that was always wet. Apparently, the lake had been like this for some time.

They started walking to the only pool of water left in the lake, in the deepest part. As they descended, the rocks below their feet steadily grew slick, until their weight caused muddy water to seep from the ground. When they reached the edge of the water, Link reached down and dipped his fingers in, testing the temperature. He sighed in relief as he realized that the water was comfortably warm. Now, he found himself actually looking forward to traveling into an underwater temple. He had always enjoyed swimming.

"You might want to put that tunic on," Maple said, interrupting his thoughts.

Link nodded, reaching into his pouch and grabbing for the soft fabric. It took him a moment, since there were quite a lot of things in there now, but he pulled it out soon enough. He left on his undershirt, putting on the blue tunic over it, changing his hat as well. As he was tightening his belt, there was suddenly a sharp pain on either side of his neck and sides.

Link screamed, falling to the ground. He heard Maple saying something, but what he couldn't tell through the pounding noise in his ears. His vision swam, Maple's face going in and out of focus.

The pain suddenly disappeared. Link breathed heavily, rubbing at his neck and sides. That's when he realized that there were strange ridges on the sides of his neck, and bumps on his sides, under his shirt.

Link stood up, his legs shaking. His fingers ran along the sides of his neck, where there were now three, long slits.

"You have gills!" Maple exclaimed at the same moment he realized this himself. Link then gasped and yanked off his belt, lifting his tunic and undershirt, exposing his side.

Maple gasped. Even Link could see them: three slits that ran along his ribcage, each right over a rib. They were closed at the moment, tight against his skin, but he didn't miss them: anyone could see that the skin between the slits was oddly transparent, pink muscles showing through from underneath. With every breath he took, they flexed slightly, barely opening before closing back up. It gave him the strangest sensation, cold air barely seeping through, straight to his lungs.

He lowered his shirts and fumbled with his belt. He couldn't seem to get his fingers to stop shaking. Maple seemed to recover, because she stepped in front of him and helped tighten it, her fingers steadier than his. He took in a shaky breath.

"Not what I expected," he said.

"Neither did I..." Maple replied as she cinched his belt.

"Does your power give you gills as well, then?" He asked.

Maple shook her head. "No. It just makes it so I have no need for air." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "Let's go, then."

Link took one last look behind him, seeing the horses off in the distance eating some hay. He then nodded and stepped into the water.

It was just as warm as he had thought. It was oddly pleasant, especially after being in such cold water before. As it traveled above his waist, he suddenly felt the strange sensation of water rushing in through the gills on his sides. It made him shudder, but then he couldn't take it anymore. He _needed_ to get in the water. He couldn't wait any longer.

Link dove, plunging into the water head-first. As water rushed in through his gills, he grabbed at his throat, the feeling of water rushing into his lungs oddly painful. He gasped, water rushing in through his mouth, and for a brief moment he choked, sputtering and coughing. But then, quite suddenly, the water stopped rushing into his mouth when he took a breath: instead it rushed, in and out, of his gills.

His breathing calmed, and soon the strange sensation felt quite natural. He looked around, surprised that his eyes easily cut through the murky water, so that everything around him appeared crisp and clear. He looked above him, where Maple was floating. Her lips were closed tight, but despite this she was smiling at him. She then pointed down.

Link saw it: a door sealed off at the very bottom of the lake, embedded in the rock of the island above them. Link swam to it, seeing that there was a strange crystal switch above the door. He tried to pull at it, but it didn't budge.

Link turned when he felt Maple tapping his shoulder. He then watched as she made strange motions in the water with her arms, first looking as if she was holding something, then pulling a trigger, and making a motion like something shooting off into the water...

Link nodded, suddenly understanding. He reached into his pouch, surprised to find that the contents were completely dry, even after opening it wide to see inside. It was like there was a bubble covering the opening of the pouch, which didn't allow the water to flow inside.

Neat!

Link pulled out his Hookshot, swimming back a little ways. He then aimed, surprised that the laser sight worked perfect despite the water, and shot.

Instead of pulling him to the wall, the hook grabbed the crystal, pulling it out of the wall before letting it go. Link watched as the crystal switch slowly started floating to the surface, and now that it was exposed he realized that the entire thing was shaped like a fish. He then looked down to see the door was unsealed.

Maple swam passed him, straight through the door. Link smirked and swam after her. The passage wasn't very long. Soon, it stopped altogether and shot straight up. Link could see the rippling surface above them, so they surfaced.

There was a corridor in front of them. Maple climbed out first, Link not far behind. However, the moment his gills surfaced into the air he started to choke, his gills craving water. He fell to his knees, and vaguely heard the sound of Maple's bow twang from somewhere in front of him. After a moment, Maple knelt down in front of him, her face painted with worry.

"You okay?" She asked.

Link, whose breathing had returned to normal, nodded. "I think so." He sighed, straightening. "Why do you think that keeps happening?"

She stared at him for a long moment and then ran her fingers along the gills at his neck, the sensation making his body shiver in pleasure. He would have to tell her not to do that so suddenly, otherwise he might find himself pouncing on her in the middle of the Temple if she wasn't careful. "I think that you just don't know how to transition smoothly between breathing air and water. I think after a few times, you'll learn a technique that makes it easier for you."

Link sighed, partly out of frustration at her words, and partly to gain control of himself. "Really? So, I'm going to have to choke each time I go from one to the other while we are down here?"

Maple gave him a small smile, but didn't answer. Link sighed again as her hand dropped. Now he wasn't looking forward to this very much.

The room they entered into was three stories high, them being on the highest floor. Water flooded the room, right up to the third floor. In front of them was a giant square pillar, on which was a ledge, which they jumped to. Link looked down, seeing that there were many other doors on the other floors below them, all submerged under the water. At the bottom, he noticed that there were four corridors, one at each compass point.

Link and Maple walked around the ledge, it curving to the right with the pillar. There were a couple of doors and corridors across from them, but most of them were inaccessible.

"Only one way to go..." Maple said, once they had done a complete circle. Link silently groaned to himself, watching her gracefully dive down into the water, which was just as murky as the water in the lake. Link then sighed, took a deep breath, and dove in head first.

Link took short breaths once he was under the water, trying his best not to start choking. He still gripped his neck, instantly coughing, but it wasn't quite as bad. As long as he didn't take in a lungful of water right off the bat, his choking didn't seem as bad... Maybe that was the technique?

Maple wasn't far ahead of him, since she had stopped to wait, her hair floating all around her face like a curtain of black satin. When he had recovered, she motioned for him to follow, down to a corridor on the second floor.

The passageway was tight and hard to maneuver while swimming, so Link sighed as he reached into his pouch, pulling out the boots. They weren't as heavy under the water, but they were heavy enough that his arms jerked painfully as they fell to the bottom of the passage. Link quickly took off his boots, putting them in the pouch, and slipped his feet into the Iron Boots, tightening the buckles on them so they wouldn't fall off.

Link looked up to see Maple floating awkwardly on the roof, her head bumping up against it. When she saw he was done she swam down to him, lightly hooking her arms around his neck so as to stay grounded, her feet still floating out behind her. He smiled at her over his shoulder as she kissed him on the cheek.

Walking underwater with the boots on was much easier than he had ever expected. If it weren't for the fact that his movements were slow because of the pressure of the water, he could have thought that he was on land because of how easily he moved.

The corridor wound around to the left, and then to the right farther down. Ahead of them, Link thought he saw what looked like giant spikes hanging from the ceiling and growing out of the floor. The moment they turned the corner, however, Link saw three odd shapes heading toward them.

Quickly, Link pulled out the Hookshot, aiming it at the nearest Stinger that was coming toward them. He shot, the Hookshot just as slow and sluggish as he was under the water, but the aim was true, the hook shooting straight through the thin membrane of one of the Stinger's flippers. It squealed, falling to the floor. Link turned, barely managing to dodge another stinger that was coming at him, but backing into a third as he did.

Maple screamed, Link instantly turning around to get her away from them as he shot. This one was closer, and he was able to kill it faster than the other. He then aimed again, quickly shooting down the last of them.

Link was about to turn and check on Maple, when he saw three more Stingers appear. Link worked as fast as he could, trying his best to keep Maple away from them. But after a few seconds, he felt Maple's grip leave his neck, and he watched as she swam back down the passage, an eagerness in the movements of her limbs. Link quickly took down what was left of the Stingers before turning back around and following her.

He emerged back into the bigger room, just in time to see Maple dive back under the water. She approached him, pointing at her mouth and chest. For some reason he understood: she didn't have gills, so that scream she had let out a few minutes before had let out the only air her body was surviving on. Apparently her spell that allowed her to go without air only worked as long as she was holding her breath. If she let it out, the spell wouldn't work.

Link nodded as she rewrapped her arms around his neck. As she did, he felt her fingers lightly touch his now open and pulsing gills. He shivered, enough so that Maple noticed, giving him an odd look over his shoulder. He shrugged, hiding his now blushing cheeks from her. He found himself hoping that they weren't going to have to surface in the next couple of minutes. If they did, well...wet clothes weren't good for hiding anything...

Link walked down the now clear passageway, seeing one of those Hookshot targets on the other side of the spikes. He aimed carefully, making sure he was standing in just the right position, before pulling the trigger. The Hookshot then slowly pulled them up onto a ledge, slow enough that Link was able to dodge the spikes so they didn't hit Maple. Once on the ledge he looked up, seeing more Hookshot targets on the ceiling of the room above. Link moaned silently to himself as he realized that the surface was just feet above them. Couldn't the temple have been nice to him, just once?

Link chose carefully, making sure the Hookshot pulled them up into the room above without dropping them back on the spikes below.

Once their bodies broke the surface of the water, the Hookshot yanked them with a burst of speed, no longer having to drag them up through the water, and Link gasped, instantly choking. The Hookshot dropped them to the ground and Link spent a moment gasping for air. Even though he hated the sensation, he was silently glad. Lack of oxygen was _not_ good for stimulation...

His gills adjusted, and Link stood up and saw that they were in a very small room. Next to them was a crystal switch. On the other side was a treasure chest, inaccessible because of a strong jet of water surrounding it.

Link, who was still holding the Hookshot, shot the switch, and instantly the jet of water dropped. He started to cross the room, his boots clanking loudly and slowing him down, but the jet of water suddenly reappeared.

It was a short switch, then.

Link turned to go back to the switch when Maple stopped him. "Hold on. I've got an idea." She then snapped her fingers.

Instantly, he felt the weight of the boots disappear. He looked down to see that he was now wearing his normal boots. He smiled.

"That will come in handy, I bet."

Maple smiled. "Go stand by the chest. I'll trigger the switch so you can open it, okay?"

Link smiled at her, feeling a rush of gratitude toward her, solidifying everything he already felt for her.

"I love you," he sighed. Maple smiled and touched his cheek before walking over to the crystal. Link stood by the chest and looked back at her, nodding.

She pulled out her bow, pulling it taut, and let the arrow hit the switch with a loud 'clang'! Link then quickly jumped at the chest, pulling it open before the jet came back. He pulled out the compass before jumping back.

Maple joined him as he stood next to the hole they had come through, submerged in water. She snapped her fingers, switching his boots, and then he jumped down, Maple right behind him. After he landed on the platform, she wrapped her arm around his neck again before he carefully dropped back down, avoiding the spikes.

Again, her fingers lightly touched his gills, and he suddenly had a feeling that she was doing it on purpose, inspecting them. He politely moved her fingers, hooking them around his neck so that they were no longer sending shivers down his spine. At first, she gave him a very odd look, but the blush on his cheek seemed to register to her, for her cheeks flushed as well as she shrugged in apology. He then walked back down the corridor, and once they were back in the main room, Link jumped down again.

They floated down slowly. When Link's feet touched the sandy bottom, two strange creatures came after them, completely round with many spikes sticking out of its body. Link quickly shot them both with his Hookshot, watching the spikes retract, leaving behind a strange, scaly bodies. Link shot them again, each dying with the second hit.

Link turned and walked down the corridor directly behind them. This door had two unlit torches next to it, and an elaborate border surrounding it that seemed to glow with a strange, yellow light. He followed it as it curved twice, Maple still hanging on, and gasped when he reached the room at the end.

Ruto was standing there.

Maple let go of his neck, her hand sliding down to his arm to keep her rooted, but so that she could see better.

Link couldn't help but notice that Ruto was just as strangely pretty as she had been when they first met. Her scales grew in such a way to make it look like she was wearing an elaborate dress, her fins on her arms, legs, and hips pulsing as the water rushed around them. Her amethyst eyes were also bright and strangely mesmerizing, so much so that Link realized that his mouth was hanging open lazily. He quickly closed it.

"Oh...you..." Ruto said, her voice oddly clear. "If I'm right... Link? You're Link, aren't you?"

"Yes," Link said, surprised to hear that his voice was clear as well. It seemed the only person who couldn't speak underwater was Maple, and by the look on her face, she was wishing she had taken that tunic.

"It's me, your fiancee, Ruto! Princess of the Zoras!"

"F - fiancee?" He stammered. He had completely forgotten about Ruto's stone, how she had called it an 'engagement ring'. He hadn't really thought she would take the arrangement seriously...she was a fish, after all.

He also didn't miss the murderous glint in Maple's eyes at the sound of that word.

"I never forgot the vows we made to each other seven years ago!" She said, placing her hand on her hip like she had as a child. "You're a terrible man to have kept me waiting for these seven long years..."

Link felt something tug at his hand, looking down to see that Maple was now trying to pry the Hookshot from his grip, the look on her face scaring him a heck of a lot more than was comfortable. If looks could kill...

"But now is not the time to talk about love..." Ruto sighed. "I'm sure you've already seen it!"

"Seen what, exactly?" He said through his teeth, discretely trying to stop Maple from taking the Hookshot, which was getting exceedingly difficult.

"Zora's Domain - totally frozen! A young man named Sheik saved me from under the ice... But my father and the other Zoras have not...yet..." Her hand balled into fists, her face determined. "I want to save them all! I want to save Zora's Domain! You! You have to help me! This is a request from me, the woman who is going to be your wife!"

At this point, Link felt Maple finally pull the Hookshot from his grip, and it took a lot of restraint for him to grab her hands, pulling them down so that the laser sight was no longer pointing between Ruto's eyes. As much as Ruto's claims of marriage bugged him, he knew that they needed her help.

Ruto hadn't missed the exchange, and her face was murderous. Link backed away slightly as her and Maple stared daggers at each other. Ruto finally growled and turned to Link, her face contorted with rage.

"Link, you have to help me destroy the evil monster in the Temple!" She demanded, her cheeks red with anger. "Inside the Water Temple, there are three places where you can change the water level. I'll lead the way. Follow me, quickly!"

She then pushed off the ground, gracefully swimming up, Link and Maple's eyes following her. The corridor ascended a good few stories, and when Ruto reached the top, she disappeared as he pulled herself out of the water and onto some unseen ledge.

Link looked over at Maple, who still had his Hookshot in her hand, and was surprised to see that she was now giving _him_ a murderous glare. He shrank away slightly, wondering what he had done to make her look this mad. Maple then crossed her arms and kicked off from the bottom, not giving him a second glance, leaving him at the bottom with his Iron Boots still on.

Oh yeah, she was definitely mad at him, though for what he wasn't sure.

He was going to have to do this the hard way, and hopefully _before_ Maple caught up to Ruto to murder her with his Hookshot.

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><p><strong>Hopefully you guys liked :)<strong>


	35. Chapter 35

**Almost 60 reviews! Yay!**

**...**

**Don't you hate it when you have one of those days...when you get home and all you feel like is DX... Yeah, yesterday was one of those days. Don't know if it was the fact that I had to get up at 6...or the fact that I had classes from 8-4 back to back...with no breaks between... Again, DX**

**Hopefully next day of class is better. Dropped one of my classes so I have a little lighter work load.**

**College sucks sometimes, lol**

**Oh, and as for the whole 'tingling' gills (dubbed as that by both Odnet and Crowlet), I thought it would be something funny to add :) Make some laughs for y'alls ;)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p><em>How dare he!<em> Was all that I could think as I swam up. _How _dare_ he! After all we've been through together! After what happened the other night! How _dare _he ogle at another woman! And at a _fish_, no less!_

I growled as my head broke the surface. To make things even worse, Ruto was gone. I had really been hoping to catch her before she left, so I could wipe off the ridiculous smile that had been on her face as she talked of marriage. But I had sadly missed my chance.

I sighed, taking in a deep breath to calm myself. I told myself that I hadn't really wanted to kill her. I was just jealous, that's all. If I had killed her, I would have felt bad...

I turned and sat down against the wall, pulling my hair up into a bun as I did. Swimming around with it loose was really starting to wear me down. It was _heavy_ when wet.

I groaned to myself when bubbles started appearing at the surface of the water next to me. Then, a green glow. Then Link's hat broke the surface of the water, at which time I folded my arms and looked away, refusing to look at him. I heard him choke for just a moment as he pulled himself out, resisting the urge to check on him. But it left as fast as it had come.

"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice 'genuinely' confused, as if he didn't know! I mean, there was no way he missed how his mouth fell open at the sight of her as he looked her up and down! I certainly hadn't!

I huffed, standing up and walking over to the door next to me, standing in front of it with my back turned to him.

I heard his boots tap lightly against the stone as he walked to the wall to my right. He then huffed. "What's this symbol for?" He asked.

I shrugged, but continued to say nothing.

Then I felt it: the anger. It started to ripple off of him, and steadily grew stronger as I stood there. I heard his gloves stretch as his hands balled into fists. "There's an inscription here," he said, his voice barely containing the anger I now felt rolling off of him in waves.

"Well, read it then," I snapped.

I felt a small breeze as I heard his boots slide on the floor. I knew now that he was facing me. "You know damn well I don't know how to read!" He yelled, his voice shaking with anger.

I rolled my eyes, shoving passed him to stand in front of the Triforce symbol on the wall.

"'Those who wish to open the path sleeping at the bottom of the lake must play the song passed down by the Royal Family'," I read quickly and all in one breath.

I turned back around, avoiding his gaze, and tried to walk passed him again. He reached out, however, grabbing my shoulder and yanking me around so that I was facing him. I grimaced slightly as his fingers dug into my shoulder, leaving what I knew would be small bruises. He noticed and loosened his grip, but his angry gaze didn't falter. It wasn't that same, murderous glare he had given Cinna, but it was enough to make me recoil slightly.

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?" He yelled. "What did I do? What was I _supposed_ to do, huh? It's not _my_ fault that she thinks I'm going to marry her! I wasn't going to start yelling at her, right then and there!" His nostrils flared slightly, his features still oddly handsome, even behind the glare. "I didn't want to hurt her feelings! We _need_ her help! And she needs ours! The way things have been going, she's likely the Water Sage, anyways! In the end, all this 'marriage' stuff with her won't even matter!"

"That's not even the issue!" I yelled back, yanking my shoulder loose from his grip.

"Then what the hell is?"

I glared back at him, satisfied when he backed away a few steps. "The way you were looking at her!" I yelled. "If we hadn't of been underwater already, you'd of been _drooling_!"

Link's face turned slightly pink, but he stepped closer to me. "I was not!" He growled.

"Yes, you were!"

Navi flew out of his hat at that point. "Knock it off!" She demanded. "Both of you!"

We ignored her.

"I was not staring at her!" He yelled. "It's not my fault that her eyes are such a strange color!"

I growled. "See, you _admit_ you were staring at her!" I screamed.

"I WAS NOT!"

"STOP!" Navi yelled.

"What, had sex once and suddenly you wonder what it's like with a _FISH_?"

The moment I said it, I wished I could take it back. I felt my heart fall as his face stiffened.

"You honestly think that?" He asked, his voice slightly shaking.

I stammered, twirling my hands in front of me. Link's eyes suddenly watered as he looked away from me, pushing me back as he walked away.

"Whatever," he mumbled as he disappeared through the door.

I stood there, staring at the door. Goddess, I wish I could take it back; I hadn't meant it. It had just...slipped out.

I waited, pacing back and forth, twirling my hands. I didn't even realize that there were tears running down my face, blending with my still soaked skin. When the door opened back up ten minutes later, I went completely still, wringing my hands as I looked down at my feet. I heard Link walk over to the Triforce symbol, and soon the room was full of the sounds of the lullaby.

When it was over, I watched as the water in the hole descended, clear down to the bottom floor below.

It was oddly quiet, Link still standing by the symbol. I could feel many different emotions rolling off of him, but the strongest one was anger. I stiffened when his boots started tapping on the tiles again, this time toward me. I watched as the tips of his boots appeared in my vision.

"I would never think of anyone else that way... No. One. Else." He then turned away and jumped down the hole. I heard a soft moan as he landed, but I didn't follow.

I curled up on the floor and cried.

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><p>I don't know how long I laid there. It might have been minutes. It might have been hours. All I knew was that the sound of rising water seemed to wake me back up. I then laid there and waited, for what I wasn't sure.<p>

I heard a small splash of water somewhere below me. I then heard the unmistakable sound of wet boots on tile. I looked up, expecting to see Link standing above me...but no one was there. Was I hearing things?

"Maple..."

I sat up, peeking my head over the hole. That's when I saw that the water had risen to the second level, and Link was standing there, on a ledge. He was looking up at me, but there was still a stiffness in his eyes that made my own sting.

"Come down here, please..." He asked.

My heart raced, part of me wanting nothing more than to be with him again, the other dreading it. I finally sighed. As I lowered myself down, Link disappeared from view for a few seconds before appearing again. I let go, the air rushing by me for the blink of an eye. Then the water rushed over me, and I instantly felt the water ripple again. Looking up, I saw Link floating above me. Again, his eyes were still stiff...

I felt the water suddenly pulse, and there was a flash of bright light above the surface. I wondered for only a moment, however, because Link then grabbed my arm and pulled me to the surface.

Oh, he had blown up a wall. Instead of making me shield our hearing, he had used the water instead. I felt my heart sink. He _hadn't_ wanted me to come with him after all. He was just making sure I didn't go deaf from the blast...

Link pulled me out of the water, and I couldn't help but notice that he wasn't coughing. He hadn't coughed when he had come back, either. Apparently he had found a technique that worked...

Link disappeared into the small room that had been revealed, coming back with a key in hand. He then grabbed my hand and pulled me back into the water, pulling me down to the bottom. He didn't bother switching his boots, because when we were back in the main room Link surfaced, both of us now on the second level of the giant pillar. He then used the new key to unlock a door against one of the far walls, one with a glowing blue border.

Inside was a crystal switch. On the other side of the room was a jet of water, floating just above the ground. Link pulled me toward it, stopping only once both of us were standing in the jet. He then pulled out his Hookshot, which he must have taken back from me earlier, and shot the switch. Instantly the jet rose, us still on top, and we walked through the door at the top.

There was another Triforce symbol up here, and Link quickly played the lullaby. I wasn't surprised to find that the water rose completely, right up to the third floor.

Before Link jumped off the ledge, which I realized was suspended above the main room, I grabbed his arm, not looking at him.

"I...I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't mean it... It just slipped out."

Link didn't say anything, but I heard him sigh.

"If I had the power, I would take it back in a heartbeat..."

Another silent moment passed, and then his hand was under my chin. I flinched, not quite knowing what to expect. But I was surprised when Link merely lifted my head, so I was looking into his eyes.

There was still sadness in them, but he smiled. "I... I can't stay mad at you... No matter how hard I try..."

I bawled. Link wrapped his arms around me, holding me lightly. But there was still a stiffness in there; I could feel it, sense it...

Next thing I knew, Link picked me up and I felt him jolt as he jumped over the ledge. A split second later, we hit the water. He then swam, pulling me behind him, to a door against the wall. Link quickly unlocked it and we walked inside.

There was a waterfall in front of us, and there were platforms floating around all over the place. At the top of the waterfall was the next door, but the only way to get there was to jump from platform to platform. It didn't appear to look too difficult... Until I realized that the platforms floating in the waterfall, in a straight line up and down, were slowly falling with the water, disappearing into the black abyss below.

We would have to be fast.

Link wrapped his arm around me and jumped, down onto the stationary platform below. He then pulled out his Hookshot, which I took as a sign to hold on tight. He then aimed and we were jerked forward. The Hookshot let go, leaving Link clinging to the edge, me with my arms wrapped around his neck. He pulled us up and again he aimed, quickly, sending us flying. Again...again. He repeated until we were close enough that he could Hookshot us up onto the ledge with the door. We then walked through.

In the next room, the crystal switch in the center controlled the water level, along with the height of dragon shaped statues suspended on different platforms. When the water was raised, the statues all raised as well, revealing Hookshot targets.

Link and I maneuvered through the room quickly, using the crystal switch to our advantage, as well as the statues. We raised and lowered the water, sometimes using the statues as they rose as stepping stones to get us places we couldn't reach on our own. When we finally reached the other side of the room, we raised the statue head we were standing on, so that it boosted us higher.

Link quickly took out the two blue crab-like creatures, and then took out the Like Like guarding the door on the other side of some spikes. We then walked through the door, on each side of which were two dragon statues. It locked behind us.

The room we walked into was strange, and the moment I took it in, I knew it was an illusion. For one, we were walking on the top of deep, blue water. For another, there was no ceiling and no walls, just a white mist. There was one, lone dead tree in the middle of the room, suspended on a small island of sand. On the other side of the room was the next door. We quickly ran to it, seeing once we got close that it was barred off as well.

"What do w - "

Link stopped mid-sentence as I spun around, suddenly feeling a great, evil presence with us in the room. As I scanned the room, I realized that there were two dark shapes, standing under the lone tree. Link saw them at the same time as me, and we both carefully approached the shapes.

My heart fell when we got closer, it pounding fiercely in my stomach. The two figures standing there were _us_, but they were oddly transparent, like shadows. Both of them had flaming red eyes.

Dark Link and Dark Maple approached us then. I wanted so bad to look at Link, to see his reaction, but I couldn't take my eyes off of my own doppelganger.

She was smirking at me, her hand poised in a claw in front of her. I backed away, and for a brief moment I glimpsed the two Link's doing the same, swords and shields out, eyeing each other. I then looked back at my own, raising my own hand to mirror hers.

I tested her, barely moving my foot, or a finger. My moves were mirrored by her, and the movements were so close that it was hard to tell that she was just copying me; the reaction time was merely milliseconds.

I jumped backwards, flipping in the air, and at the same time I saw my shadow do the same. We both landed at the same moment, raising our now glowing hands out in front of us.

There was an explosion as our bursts of magic hit each other. The water below our feet rippled out in waves on either side, completely surrounding the two of us. I then ducked, spinning to the left, and at the same time so did she, to the right. I then let out another burst of magic, hoping to catch her off guard, but she just mirrored my own attack, another explosion ringing the air.

I growled; she chuckled. We circled each other, testing. I tried to subtly reach for my bow, which was slung over my shoulder, but she did the same. I then dropped my hand: I did _not_ want her getting the bow in her hands. If she was a good copy of me, I would be in grave danger if she pulled it out as well.

As we circled, I heard the two Link's battling somewhere on the other side of the room, their swords clanging off of each other. I didn't have to look to know that Dark Link was copying Link's moves with the same accuracy that mine was. Their clanging swords were enough to know.

Seconds turned into minutes, neither of us advancing. I then realized that my shadow was starting to get impatient. Her hand would twitch when mine stayed still; her eyebrow would quirk. I didn't let it show, but I was smiling on the inside. I know knew how I would be able to defeat her.

More minutes passed, maybe hours. It seemed to go on forever, us circling, the sounds of clanging swords filling the room. And the longer we circled, the more impatient she began to become. Finally, I saw my chance.

She suddenly moved her hand, curling it into a fist, preparing for another blast of magic. The moment she began to move I threw my weight back onto my back leg, bending down and reaching for my bow at the same time. In one fluid motion I was on the floor, resting back on one knee with my bow aimed and ready. My doppelganger saw my movements and started to copy me, but I had been faster, caught her off guard.

I let an arrow fly, it running straight through her chest when she was still in the process of kneeling down and grabbing her bow. She gasped and then suddenly was gone, the arrow falling into the water with a 'splash'!

I sprang up, moving, my bow ready again. I knew she wasn't dead: I could still feel her, sense her. She was just waiting to catch me off guard as I had done to her.

Suddenly I felt her appear behind me. I instantly dove to the side, feeling the tip of an arrow slice open my cheek. I spun around, aiming with my bow, but she was already gone.

She didn't waste any time; instantly she was behind me and I ducked, throwing out my leg behind me, spinning it around. I felt my leg collide with something solid, and I spun around just in time to see her fall to the ground, legs up in the air. I aimed carefully this time, quickly letting one fly and hit right between her eyes. The last thing I saw before she fell was her eyes opening wide, my arrow sticking out of her forehead. She then fell and was still.

I stood up, aiming my bow in the direction of the two Link's. They were still fighting, both of them covered in many cuts that were oozing blood. The water around them was tinged pink. I hesitated. I knew which one was real, but I didn't want to risk hitting Link instead of his shadow. So I just stood and watched, my bow ready.

It seems that Shadow Link had become impatient as well. He was lunging at Link, no longer bothering with mimicking his moves.

I watched as Link dove spectacularly out of the way of a vicious lunge. Link then retaliated, jumping into the air and slicing down with his sword as he did. The shadow screamed, falling to the ground. I quickly let out an arrow as Link rolled away from his doppelganger, apparently expecting him to get back up. The arrow landed in his chest. Instantly, Link sprang at him, his sword running through. Dark Link gasped, let out a gurgling sound, and then collapsed.

Link and I stood there, him with his hands around the sword stuck in the creature below him, me with my bow in hand. Both of us were breathing heavily, our chests heaving. I then finally lowered my bow at the same time Link sighed and sheathed his sword. When then wordlessly walked toward each other, and the moment he approached I started healing him. The only injury I had was the slice on my cheek: he, however, was covered in small cuts and gashes. Mine was less important.

"Let's go," Link sighed, sounding completely exhausted. "I just want to get out of here..."

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><p><strong>Came up with the whole Dark Maple thing at the last second, haha. Thought it would make it interesting. I mean, if Link has a doppelganger, why shouldn't she? It just made sense.<strong>

**Alright, I have a question for you readers to answer: what is your fav LoZ pairing? LinkXMidna, LinkXMalon, LinkXRuto, LinkXZelda (I might kick your butts if you say _that_ one...), LinkXOC, or any others you may happen to like. Also, which is your least fav and why? Review and answer!**

** I think you might have a good guess what my two answers are XD**


	36. Chapter 36

**Thanks for your reviews you guys! And I'm happy that you liked the Maple/Dark Maple thing. I figured that if there wasn't a Dark Maple involved, Maple would be just sitting there watching, which gets boring after awhile XD**

**I've got a lighter workload now. Now I only have class from 8-2 with no breaks, instead of 8-4 XD Two hours really does make a difference :)**

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><p>The room had faded back to its original appearance: a rectangular room with two inch deep water. The tree was gone, as was the strange mist. They walked through the now open door and once inside, Link realized that the room was empty except for a treasure chest suspended on a large platform. Link didn't even open it. Instead, he turned and leaned against the wall, sliding to the floor.<p>

"What's wrong?" Maple asked him as he leaned his head back against the cool tile.

Link sighed and closed his eyes. "Nothing... Just tired," he mumbled.

He heard Maple sigh as she walked over and sat next to him.

He was still mad at her, even though he was trying his best to get over it. He understood: what she had said just slipped. He had done it many times. But for some reason it was different, being on the receiving end of one of those slips. He couldn't get over what she had said...

He slipped into sleep, and his dream wasn't exactly a dream. It was just like he was recalling the fight they had just been through, the fight that had went on for hours...

He remembered how he kept looking over his shoulder at Maple, still worried about her even though he was mad. How whenever he looked over his shoulder he was punished by the sharp end of his shadow's blade, him taking the opportunity of Link's inattention. How every time he looked he realized just how powerful Maple was. It made him glad that he had to fight himself: he doubted that he would have lasted three seconds against Maple...

When Link woke the room was completely unchanged, and Maple's head was resting on his thigh. He looked down at her, her mouth slightly open, breathing deeply. At how pieces of her hair had fallen from her bun...

He wanted to touch her cheek, kiss her lips...but he couldn't. No matter how he thought about it, her words would drift back into his mind, driving away any need he had to touch her...

He faded in and out until he felt Maple stir. When she sat up and he truly woke, he had a feeling that they had been there for quite a long time: at least a good twelve hours.

Link stood and stretched, ignoring the vicious growling of his stomach. At that moment Maple threw him an entire loaf of bread.

"What about you?" He asked.

She just shook her head, and he couldn't help but notice that she was abnormally pale. "No... I'm not really hungry..."

Link's heart sank slightly, but only just. He had a feeling that her lack of appetite was due to their fight...which Link knew wasn't quite over yet.

Link ate quickly, after which he went to the chest in the middle of the room and retrieved the Longshot. It was the same as the Hookshot, but the chain was longer, which enabled them to cross greater distances. Behind the chest, embedded in the floor, was a Time Block, which Link moved by playing the Song of Time. He then grabbed Maple around the waist and dropped down the revealed hole.

They fell into a ledge overlooking what looked like an underground river. There was a waterfall to their left, and the river snaked around to their right. There was also a whirlpool right under the waterfall.

"Link!" Navi yelled, "Be careful! Don't get swallowed by the vortexes!"

"Come on," Link said, lightly grabbing hold of Maple's elbow. As he approached the edge of the water, he heard Maple snap behind him, and he instantly felt the weight of the Iron Boots pull down his legs. He then stepped over the edge, Maple holding tight to him.

Link began to stomp his way down the river, avoiding the whirlpools in the way. Whenever he would be caught in the pull of the whirlpool, Maple would quickly use her magic to pull him out, and then he would continue down. They had to shoot an eye switch up on the wall to open the door at the end, on the other side of which was a key.

They carefully made their way back to the main room, where they swam to the room where they had met Ruto. Maple followed close behind him as he swam up to the top, where the Triforce symbol was at...and where they had originally fought. Link ignored the burning in his stomach as he played the lullaby, and then turned and jumped back down the hole. Maple slowed him this time and he was silently glad: the last time he had jump from that high had really hurt his knees and legs.

Link and Maple walked back out into the main room, the sand under their feet extremely soggy. He then walked through the door in the very center of the room, which led to a room inside of the giant pillar. Once inside, Link grabbed onto Maple as he used his Longshot to propel them up to the ledge where there was another Triforce symbol, one he had found by himself. He quickly played the song again and the water rose to the second level. They then walked through the nearby door, leading out to the ledge on the second floor.

The corridor to the south was barred off, and Link quickly shot an eye switch embedded in the ledge below it. Link knew that this didn't keep the corridor open for long: he had tried before. He quickly grabbed Maple and aimed his Longshot, hitting the target embedded in the wall on the other side. Just as they crossed the threshold, the bars dropped down.

Link walked down the corridor and pushed a block out of the way, a block he had moved earlier. It revealed a small room, where he collected another key.

They Longshotted up to the third floor, going back into the main room. They then jumped into the water and swam down. He felt Maple wrap her arms around his neck, and then he felt his shoes become heavy, dragging them down. He then walked them through the corridor to the north, where he used his Longshot to pull them into a room above them. The ledge to the other side of the room was blocked off by spikes, which, after Maple switched his shoes, were easily bypassed by using the Longshot. They then walked through the locked door.

Half of the room they walked into was submerged in water, and there were two whirlpools in the pool. There were also boulders rolling around under the water, disappearing into the whirlpools before another came down and replaced it.

They took a moment to take out the Blue Tektites that were standing on the water in front of them. They then swam across the pool of water, which was much more difficult than he expected since there was a strong current pulling them toward the whirlpools. But they made it and walked through the door on the other side.

The ledge they walked onto was suspended over another pool of water, and surrounding the water were small platforms. Link also noticed that there were more of those Stingers floating around in the water. Link quickly pulled out his bow and shot down four before Maple took out the rest. They then jumped down into the water.

When they surfaced, Link noticed that there were two sections of the wall that looked old and decayed. They were on the same wall, but on opposite sides. Link nodded and then pulled himself up onto the nearest platform while Maple pulled herself up on a different one. Link then tossed her a bomb, not lighting it, and took out one for himself. They then lit their separate bombs at the same time, jumping into the water once they were in place.

Link didn't look at her as they floated next to each other. He stared off into the distance, to where his bomb lay, getting ready to explode. He felt her gaze on him the entire time, and he swore he heard a sob. When there was a flash of light, Link surfaced, seeing that they had revealed a U-shaped corridor. In the very middle was a block.

"There's a switch right here, under the water," Maple said, her voice slightly shaky. Link looked and immediately understood what to do.

He pushed the block, moving back and forward around it to get it to go where he wanted. It finally dropped into the water, on top of the switch. Once it was tripped, the water in the room rose until it was level with the ledge from which they had jumped into the room. That's when Link saw that there was another corridor. They swam to it and climbed up the large stairs up to the door.

There was a pit in the middle of the room, and a switch on the floor in front of them. There were two Tektites on the other side of the room, in front of the door, which were easily taken down with a couple of arrows. Link then looked down into the pit and saw that there were three jets of water hovering above the tiles.

The switch unlocked the door at the other end and extended the jets of water. Link knew what to do: he had done this before. He grabbed Maple by the hand and guided her across the room, using the jets of water as platforms. The door led to a corridor, where boulders kept falling from a hole in the ceiling and floating down with the water. Link knew that these boulders were going back into the room with the whirlpools they had swam through just a little while ago.

Link looked over where the boulders were falling, and saw that there was a cavern below the small waterfall. He waited until another boulder fell before jumping into the water and pushing himself down into the hole. Maple wasn't behind him, but he knew that she was watching because he felt his body become heavy as the Iron Boots appeared on his feet again.

Link dropped down into a corridor, where there was one of those snapping clams waiting for him. He quickly used the Longshot, hitting the vulnerable muscle inside of its mouth. The thing fell apart and Link walked farther down the corridor...only to find that the only way to go was up. And since Maple was still waiting for him back by the door, he was forced to take the boots off himself, which took quite a bit of time. Once they were off, his body kept trying to float up and he struggled to get his boots back in his pouch.

There was a locked door at the top of the corridor, which Link quickly walked through. Inside was one of those elaborate chests and he pulled out the key to the room where the monster was hiding and put it in his pouch. He then made his way back to Maple, being careful to make sure that there were no boulders rolling down the corridor before he surfaced and pulled himself up. They then followed the water, following right behind a boulder that fell, and Link's hunch was proven right; they were in that room with the whirlpools.

They went back out the door and used the Longshot to pull themselves over the spikes blocking their way. They then made their way back to the main room. Link already knew where to go: it was the only door he hadn't gone through yet, but they had to make their way up to the last Triforce symbol, to raise the water to the third floor. After it was raised, they then swam over so they were standing in front of a corridor with a dragon statue, which had another Hookshot target on it. They pulled themselves across and walked through the door.

There was a sharp incline in front of them and three metal blades slid back and forth along the incline. They would have to time this just right...

Link stood next to the wall, waiting until the closest blade hit the wall and turned away. He then started to run, Maple close behind him. It was hard; his boots were wet and didn't stick very well. He had to use his hands to keep from falling backwards or sliding. Reaching the top was difficult, but once they were there they both let out a sigh of relief. Directly in front of them was a large door, with an elaborate chain.

"This is it," Maple said.

Link nodded and reached up, using the key he had obtained earlier to unlock it. The lock and chain fell to the floor and Link reached up and pushed the door aside.

The room they walked into was strange; it was completely square, and in the middle of the room was a pool of water, and four platforms stood stationary in the middle of the pool. Link couldn't help but notice that the water was a strange, bright blue.

"Link! Look out! That water isn't normal over there!" Navi said, floating out from his hat and flying in front of his face.

Link and Maple were careful, jumping out onto one of the platforms in the middle of the pool. At first, nothing seemed wrong. But then he felt Maple stiffen next to him.

"What's wrong?" He whispered.

"Something's here..."

It was quiet. Then, Link heard something..._moving_ around in the water behind him. Link turned, and gasped when he realized that there was a large tentacle sticking out of the water behind them. In the middle of the tentacle was a small, red sphere, which moved up and down inside of the tentacle, as if it was controlling its movements.

The tentacle disappeared into the water as the red sphere sunk down to the bottom of the pool and disappeared from view.

Link and Maple quickly jumped back onto the ledge that surrounded the pool, being careful not to hit the spikes that were sticking out from the walls of the room. Link then turned, putting himself between it and Maple, and watched as the sphere spun around quickly in the water. As it spun, a tentacle slowly grew straight up from the water, and Link quickly backed away.

The tentacle suddenly sprang toward them, flailing around as it tried to grab one of them. Link pulled out his bow, trying to shoot at the sphere, but the arrow harmlessly bounced off of the sphere and fell into the water. Link pulled out his sword and swung at it as the sphere floated closer to them.

That was a mistake.

The tentacle grabbed him, wrapping itself around his middle and squeezing. He felt the air rush out of his lungs as it began to crush him, the sphere running through the tentacle and tightening the grip.

Link's body screamed, his vision fading in and out. The only thing he could see through the mist covering his eyes was a bright light, in the direction Maple was standing...

Suddenly, the creature screamed and threw him across the room. Link groaned when he felt his body hit the wall, flopping down to the floor with a 'thud'!

For a moment, he couldn't move. But then he felt a hand on his arm and suddenly the intense pain was gone. He opened his eyes and looked up, Maple standing above him.

"Get up! Hurry!" She said, pulling on his arm, her faced panicked. He quickly pushed himself up to his knees and then onto his feet. They dove out of the way as another tentacle flew at them, trying to wrap around him again. Link then pulled out the nearest instrument in his pouch and shot.

It was the Longshot, and the hook easily grabbed onto the floating sphere, pulling it out of the tentacle and dropping it at his feet. The moment the sphere was free from the tentacle, the tentacle shattered, sinking into the water.

Link pulled out his sword and slashed at the sphere, surprised when the sword didn't do much damage because of a protective bubble of water surrounding it. The sphere screamed and hopped away, dropping into the water and disappearing.

Link didn't turn his back on the pool of water. He waited until he heard the unmistakable sound of the sphere swimming in tight circles, creating another tentacle. But this time, _two_ tentacles emerged from the water, only one of them containing the red sphere. Link pulled out his Longshot, aiming at the sphere that was swimming up and down the length of the tentacle. But when he shot, since the chain always moved in a straight line and the thing was moving, it glanced passed, missing it by inches.

Link and Maple backed away as the tentacles disappeared, getting ready to reform somewhere else. When Link saw where they were forming he carefully moved toward it, making sure to stay out of its reach. When the tentacles extended toward him, Link smirked to himself; the sphere was right in front of him, moving closer and farther away. He wouldn't miss this time.

His aim proved to be true, and the red sphere was yanked from the inside of the tentacle and was dropped down at his feet again. Link swung his sword, and it hopped away after being struck.

Now, the second tentacle was forming on its own, even when the sphere was still hopping over the surface of the water. The tentacle was too close for comfort and Link jumped away from it, pulling Maple with him.

It went on for what seemed hours. The sphere jumped around the room easily, always seeming to be able to avoid the hook of the Longshot. Link was soon frustrated, and even Maple. He soon found out what that bright light had been when he had been squeezed; she was able to control the tentacle when she tried hard enough, although not fully. She could stop it, or make it freeze in place for a moment. But then it would fight back, gaining control of its self once again. But it was always just enough...

When they both were soaked and exhausted, Link's sword finally cut through the sphere's protective bubble. The sphere screamed, floating up into the air. The sphere then exploded, splashing them with water.

Link and Maple straightened, looking down at the water as another one of those tentacles grew from the very center of the pool of water. It connected to the ceiling, swelling, and they watched as the water in the pool slowly drained away, leaving only moist cement underneath. The tentacle then detached from the floor, slowly disappearing up into the ceiling, dripping water as it did. It was only when a ring of blue light appeared that Link finally sighed, wiping his brow.

Link and Maple jumped down into the pit below and walked into the ring of light. A blue crystal surrounded them and everything around them disappeared. Link closed his eyes, glad for the moment of rest ahead of them.

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><p><strong>Boy, writing this chapter was hard DX It's hard to write about people who are mad at each other... I also included the boss battle in this chapter because otherwise the chap was too short... That and I kinda wanted to get this over with. The next few chapters are too exciting to put off for much longer XD<strong>


	37. Chapter 37

**So I'm going to go off canon in the next few convos :) I need to so I can add in different important events without it seeming too weird**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

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><p>Link wasn't surprised when he opened his eyes to find himself in the Chamber of Sages. He was set down so he was facing a blue medallion pedestal, and out of the blue light rose Ruto. Again, he wasn't surprised.<p>

"Link..." She said, once she had fully risen from the light, "I would have expected no less from the man I chose to be my husband."

Link's brow furrowed, but he ignored her comment for the moment. "Now that the monster is gone, will Zora's Domain be saved?" Link asked.

"Zora's Domain and its people will eventually return to their original state."

Link nodded. "Good."

"As a reward... I grand my eternal love to you."

Link started. "Um... I don't think..."

"Well, that's what I want to say," she whispered, "but I don't think I can offer that now. I have to guard the Water Temple as the Sage of Water..." She looked up at him. "And you... You're searching for the princess, Zelda?"

Link blinked. "Actually... I'm not really looking for her... I'm just trying to awaken the Sages..." But, now that Ruto had mentioned her, he began to wonder: what had happened to the princess?

"Hah!" Ruto laughed, clearly not believing him, "You can't hide anything from me! Princess Zelda... She's alive. I can sense it...so don't be discouraged."

Link nodded. "Well at least she's alive... Wherever she is..."

"I can tell that nothing will stop you in your quest for justice and peace... You must take this Medallion... Take it respectfully!" She said.

In her hand appeared a Medallion exactly like the pedestal on which she was standing, with six oval shapes arranged around each other in a circle. She held it out to him, and just as he was about to take it, her hand snatched it back.

"Actually, you need to make a promise to me before I can give this to you..."

Link hesitated. He wasn't quite sure about making any 'promises' to Ruto: last time he had, it had apparently led to their engagement. "I, uh, can't agree to anything unless you tell me what it is."

Ruto sighed. "Who am I kidding? There is no way in Hyrule that I should have believed that you'd marry me. I mean, not only are you human, but you two are too close..."

Link blinked. "What do you...?"

"I saw it from the moment we met inside of Lord Jabu-Jabu. There was something between you then, and even more so now... To think that I could have ever come between you is silly..." She sighed, suddenly very sad. "I heard what was said between you..."

At first, Link didn't understand. Then he remembered that Ruto had disappeared in the same room in which they had fought. Link glared. "You eavesdropped?" He exclaimed.

Ruto huffed. "Of course! You're my fiancee! I wanted to know what really was going on between you and her!" Her expression softened. "It...pained me to hear of your...relationship, but it didn't surprise me. It also pains me to admit this, but..." She sighed, "I feel horrible, having got between you two."

"You didn't come between us," Link said, "it's what she said that did."

"And she wouldn't have said it if I hadn't been trying to convince myself that you were really going to marry me! Like I said earlier, who was I kidding?" She held open her hand, the Medallion still cradled in it, and looked down to admire it. "I admit that what she said was completely uncalled for, but it was a mistake. So, you must make this promise to me: ... Forgive her."

Link started. This was definitely the last thing he would have expected Ruto to say. Actually, the entire conversation surprised him. She was actually saying _nice_ things about Maple? And was now insisting that he _forgive_ her?

"Are you...feeling alright?" He asked.

Ruto smiled at him, taking his hand and pressing the Medallion to it: she didn't let it go, however, and instead held tight to him and it. "I feel fine. I just see that you two have something that should never be lost. You two share a love that takes years to develop. It's a love that I had hoped to share one day with you..." She looked deep into his eyes, her amethyst to his blue, "so promise me? A love like yours should never be wasted..."

Link was surprised for along moment, but then he smiled. He leaned forward and gently kissed her cheek. When he pulled away, her cheeks were colored a deep pink.

"I promise." Ruto smiled and let go of the Medallion and his hand. "And, just to let you know, if you were human and Maple didn't exist, there might have been a chance. You're pretty sweet when you get passed the spoiled exterior."

Ruto laughed. "So, in another world, then?"

Link nodded, smirking. "Thank you, Ruto."

A bright light engulfed him, then, causing her to fade from view. As he felt his feet leave the ground, he heard her yell his name.

"If you see Sheik, please give him my thanks, okay?"

When he opened his eyes, he realized that he was standing on the giant island in the middle of Hylia Lake. He looked around to see that the water in the lake was rising quickly, back to the state in which it had originally been. Maple was standing next to him. He continued to glance around the island, his eyes passing a giant tree, a small shrine sitting next to it, and stopped when he saw Sheik standing near the bridge.

"As the water rises, the evil is vanishing from the lake... Link, you did it!"

Link and Maple both gasped and ran toward Sheik. "Sheik!" They yelled in unison. They then stopped in front of him.

"Ruto wanted to thank you," Link said. He saw Maple glance at him, a confused look on her face.

"Ruto wanted to thank me?"

"Yes. She told me so inside of the Chamber of Sages."

"I see... We have to return peace to Hyrule for her sake, too. Don't we?" Link nodded.

Sheik gestured to the lake around them. "Look at that, Link... Together, you, Maple, and Princess Ruto destroyed the evil monster! Once again, the lake is filled with pure water. All is as it was here."

Link and Maple both joined him at the edge of the island, looking at the lake. He had to admit, it was beautiful, seeing the lake full of clean, pure water once again.

"Sheik?" Maple said, pulling him out of his trance. He turned around, realizing that Sheik was no longer there. Link and Maple ran to the other side of the island, to see if maybe he had hidden behind the giant tree... But he wasn't there.

Link suddenly heard a very small splash of water from behind them. He turned toward it, seeing nothing was there. Maple hadn't heard it.

"What was that?" He asked. Maple just looked up at him and shrugged.

He looked down at her and sighed. Despite the promise he had made to Ruto, his heart still ached. He couldn't forgive her...not yet, anyways. He wasn't mad anymore, just hurt.

Maple walked away from him, toward the small shrine next to the tree. He watched as she knelt down next to it before walking over to it as well.

"What does it say?" He asked.

"It says to 'shoot for the morning light' ... ?"

Link looked at the shrine and saw a picture of the sun, an arrow flying toward it. He looked up, seeing that it was nearly morning: the sky was a light pink where the sun was about to rise.

"Wonder how long we were down there..." He mumbled, more to himself than to anyone.

"Two days at least," Maple replied, standing up.

"You were down there three and a half days," Navi said, popping out from under his hat.

Link nodded, suddenly exhausted. "No wonder I'm so tired and hungry..."

"Agreed..."

Maple seemed to notice then that they were still soaked, because she quickly dried them. Link then took off his blue tunic and hat, immediately screaming as his neck and sides burned. When he touched his neck and sides, he realized that the gills were now gone. He then slipped on his green tunic, the one that he truly liked most of all.

They sat there, waiting for the sun to rise. The tension between them was palpable and uncomfortable. When the sun finally rose above the mountains in the distance, Link nocked an arrow and let it fly, aiming right for the center of the sun.

At first, he thought that maybe the shrine had been wrong, put there to make whoever read it seem a fool. But then, he realized that something was glowing, but since the sun was bright it was hard to see at first. He then saw something fall from the sky, onto a very small island not far from the one they were on.

Link dove into the water, not caring that he was now dry. He swam out onto the island and pulled himself out of the water.

Sitting there was what looked like an arrow incased with fire. Link quickly picked it up, and the moment it was in his hands he felt a strange power overcome him. For some strange reason, he pulled out his bow, concentrating on that power, and let it flow into the nocked arrow.

The arrow burned furiously with fire so strong that his hand burned through his glove. He quickly let it fly, and watched as it instantly caught fire to the rock it embedded itself in.

Fire Arrows... Cool!

Link swam back to Maple, who was waiting patiently by the shrine. He also noticed that she had set up a camp for them, and there was a pot over a raging fire with what looked like stew brewing.

It took awhile for the stew to cook fully, so the sun was high in the sky by the time it was ready. They quickly ate and then laid down in the grass.

The moment his head hit the grass, he was out.

* * *

><p>His sleep was dreamless and peaceful, the first in a long time. When he awoke it was dark out, and Maple was wide awake, stoking the fire. He sat up and, as he did, he realized that she hadn't slept; the bags under her eyes gave it away.<p>

"Oh, you're awake!" She said, glancing at him for just a moment before looking back at the fire. That was all he needed: her eyes were bloodshot and there were still shining tracks trailing down her cheeks. She had been crying.

He sighed, suddenly feeling horrible. What were they doing, ignoring each other like this? Namely, what was _he_ doing? He loved her, even if she had hurt him...

He sat up and scooted over to her, wrapping his arm around her. He squeezed her and he felt her shake, but no sound escaped her lips. His heart then sank when she shrugged her shoulders, pushing his arm off of her. She then stood up.

"We should get going," she said, and he didn't miss how she wiped her sleeve across her face.

Okay, now he felt bad...

Their horses weren't far away and were perfectly fine: there had been a lot of loose hay around, along with grass and water, so they were good to go. Link and Maple quickly mounted their separate steeds and took off for Hyrule Field.

Navi flew out of his hat, flying next to him.

"Where are we going?" He asked her as she easily kept up with them. He had a feeling that she was enjoying this; she spent so much of her time under his hat lately.

"Well, we should find someone who might know where the next Sage is," she answered.

"And who could that be?"

Maple answered this time. "Well, the legend of the Sages comes from the Sheikahs, so we should find a Sheikah."

"The only Sheikah we know is Sheik, and he's always disappearing..."

Maple sighed. "The Shadow Temple is in Kakariko, and Kakariko was founded by Impa, who is a - "

"Sheikah!" Link slapped his forehead. How could he have forgotten? "So, we can ask her to help us get into the Temple..." He paused. "Wait a minute... Where _is_ the Temple? The town isn't exactly big enough to hide a Temple, is it?"

"No, but it's there; in the graveyard."

"The graveyard?"

Maple nodded. "But it's inaccessible. We'll have to find Impa to help us get in there, anyways."

Link sighed, nodding.

They rode for a good hour before they spoke.

"When did you talk to Ruto?" Maple asked.

Link explained about how he appeared in the Chamber of Sages after killing the monster in the Temple, about how he met Ruto, the new Sage. He explained that this had happened every time, and he told her who the Sages were up to that point. After he was done, she merely nodded her head and concentrated on the path.

The rest of the ride was just as tense as waiting for the sunrise had been. They were completely quiet, and she refused to look at him, even though he spent almost the entire night watching her. He still saw tears run down her cheek every once in awhile, but she never let it show, never sobbed or wiped her cheek.

When they reached the trail to Kakariko, the sun had risen and was slowly making its way across the sky. As the horses slowly walked up the trail, when they were almost to the village, Maple sighed.

"Why did you say it?" She asked, her voice hoarse from lack of use.

"W - what?"

"That you couldn't be mad at me. You lied. You said you could never stay mad at me for long, but yet you were and still are, even now. I can feel it."

Link opened his mouth to answer, and his answer was a good one he thought, but he didn't even get to make a sound. Because at that moment the air was pierced with the screams of the villagers.

"What's that?" Maple asked, her ears catching the sounds just a fraction of a second later than him.

That's when he smelled the smoke.

Link and Maple pushed the horses faster, until the village was in view. Both of them jumped off the horses, still in full gallop, and gasped.

Many of the buildings were on fire, and the villagers were either running frantically around the village or trying to put out the many fires.

"What happened?" Link asked as they stopped, taking in the entire village.

"Sheik!"

Link followed Maple as she ran forward, toward Sheik, whom he just now noticed was standing next to the village well. Maple reached him before Link, and he heard Sheik yell, "Get back!"

The wooden pole that stood above the well suddenly went flying into the air, knocking Maple back, who had been standing too close. Link then watched in horror as something unseen grabbed Sheik as if he were a rag doll, and began to toss him around. Sheik screamed, digging his fingers into whatever had ahold of him. Sheik then went flying, landing on the other side of the village with a sickening crack that was heard even by Link.

Maple stood up, her forehead bleeding from a gash, and they both ran to him. Maple started to shake him and call his name, tears running down her cheeks, either from pain or fear. She then froze and Link noticed that her eyes were following something that he couldn't quite see. She stood up, backing away from Sheik, her eyes never leaving whatever was now flying around the village...

Could she see the monster?

Link's eyes followed Maple's, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever it was, but it was no use: he couldn't see anything.

"LINK! LOOK OUT!" She yelled.

Even though Link couldn't see it, he held out his sword, getting ready to slash whatever it was now coming toward him. But it was no use.

Suddenly, something grabbed him, throwing him just like it had done to Sheik. When his body hit the floor, he heard Maple scream his name. He tried to hold onto consciousness, but his vision was fading, as was his hearing. Maple's voice was quickly fading, still piercing the sky...

Then all was black.

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><p><strong>O_o Uh oh...<strong>


	38. Chapter 38

**I know, so many chapters in a row :) My parents are visiting this weekend, so I probably won't have a lot of time to work on this story, so I wanted to get as much done as possible for you guys :)**

**Hope you enjoy XD**

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><p>I moaned, my head throbbing, absolutely killing me. I realized that both of my arms were numb, my butt sore from sitting on a wet, cement floor for far too long. As I became aware of myself, I noticed that my arms were chained up above my head, and I was slumped up against a hard wall, the chains hanging far enough down that I was partly sitting. My legs also throbbed, each of them bent at odd angles.<p>

The pain that started shooting through them told me that they were broken: both of them.

I opened my eyes and they instantly stung and watered as a thick, warm liquid dripped down into them. I realized it was my own blood after a moment, after it dripped down into my mouth and I tasted the signature flavor of it.

I moaned again and coughed, spitting out blood, and almost every inch of my body screamed in response. I suddenly had the feeling that something must have happened to me that I didn't remember. Too many pieces of my body hurt that hadn't hurt before. I felt like I had been thrown into a wall, dropped from a large height, maybe even tortured for fun...

My memory started to return to me; at least, most of it. The well exploding, pieces of it hitting my head, leaving a large gash. Sheik lying on the floor. I then remembered seeing the thing, oddly transparent, flying around Kakariko. I remembered seeing it collide with Link and throw him across the village. I remembered it grabbing me...

After that was a complete blank.

I blinked away the blood in my eyes and looked up. If I had been in a better state, I would have screamed... But I didn't have the strength.

Floating in front of me were what looked like two giant hands. Behind it was a body that had no head, no legs. The hands weren't even attached to its arms and just floated in front of them. Where it should have had a head it had a glowing red orb, like a giant eye.

"It wakes," the thing said, its voice oddly thick and slimy.

I moaned. "W - what have you done to me?" I asked, my voice thick and slow.

"I has taken it to take it to the Dark Lord."

I knew I should have been scared at those words, but I wasn't. Maybe it was the severe concussion I knew I had. "Why?"

"It has great powers the Dark Lord wants."

I tried to growl, but it came out sounding like a groan. "What do I have that he wants?"

It stared at me for a long moment. "I has sensed its powers for a long time," it began, reaching over with one of its large hands and viciously jabbing me with a finger. I screamed in pain. "I had tried to take it before, but that woman with the red eyes stopped me and locked me in that well..."

It growled and swung at me, causing my head to spun and my body to go limp. It took all the effort I had to not slip into unconsciousness. "I gained back my strength with the help of the Dark Lord and told him about the strong female living in the village. He instructed me to find it and bring it to him."

I coughed up more blood before looking back at it. "You attacked the village...because of me?"

"It is what the little humans call a 'goddess'. It has powers greater than even the Dark Lord's. I have sensed it for all these years and now I have it to bring to the Dark Lord, so he can use its power."

My head was reeling, from both pain and from everything the monster had told me. It had attacked the village, not only now but a few years ago, just to get to me. And I _was_ a goddess; there was no need to deny it anymore, not when monsters were attacking the people I cared about to get to me.

_No_...

I growled, wiggling my arms as I tried to pull free from the chains around my wrists. "You won't get away with this. Link will come and save me and destroy you before you even get a chance to take me anywhere."

The last thing I saw was the monster coming at me, its fingers taut as it growled and closed them around my body.

* * *

><p>It was raining, heavily. Link's entire body ached, and his first though was why Maple hadn't healed him yet. She was always so fast and efficient at taking care of him... And that thought made him feel even worse about how he had treated her the last few days.<p>

Link's eyes opened and he realized that Sheik was sitting over him, and Navi was flying around their heads, her flight pattern showing just how nervous and scared she was.

"Looks like you're coming around..." Sheik said, sighing in relief.

"What happened?" Link asked as he stood.

"Link... A terrible thing has happened! The evil shadow spirit has been released!"

"Released? You say that as if it had been sealed before..."

"Impa, the leader of Kakariko Village, had sealed the evil shadow spirit in the bottom of the well... But the force of the evil spirit got so strong, the seal of the well broke, and it escaped into the world!"

Link nodded, suddenly remembering Maple telling him about that after he had woken up. Actually, where was she...? "Where is Impa? And Maple?"

"I believe Impa has gone to the Shadow Temple to seal it again, but...she will be in danger without any help! Link! Impa is one of the six Sages."

"And Maple...?"

Sheik's face fell. Link started to look around, his heart hammering inside his chest. She was here, somewhere... He knew it! She was just off helping injured villagers, that's why she wasn't there... But when he looked back at Sheik, who wasn't looking him in the eye, and Navi, who sounded like she was sobbing, he felt his breathing increase.

"Where is she?" He asked. Neither of them answered and he felt a wave of panic rise inside of him. "WHERE IS SHE?" He screamed, his breathing ragged and uneven, as he looked back and forth between the two of them.

Navi sobbed and flew over to him, disappearing into the folds of his tunic at his chest. "I - I'm s - so s - sorry! It t - took her! The s - spirit! I s - saw it!"

Link's world stopped. She had been...taken? No... "No..." His vision started to fade as he fell to his knees. "It's not true... TELL ME IT'S NOT TRUE!" He screamed at Sheik. But when his red eyes closed as he sighed, any trace of hope Link had vanished.

"It's true. She is the goddess that you seek, and the monster must have sensed it and took her into the Temple."

Link's face fell into his hands. The last few days rushed through his mind: their fight, his anger. All he could think was that the last few words he had said to her had been masked by anger and hurt... How silly their fight seemed now...now that she had been kidnapped and was in grave danger, maybe even already...

No, he couldn't think that...

"What do I do?" Link asked, standing on his feet, suddenly determined.

"Destroy the evil shadow spirit and save her! There is an entrance to the Shadow Temple beneath the graveyard behind this village."

"Is there anything you can do to help?"

"The only thing I can do for you is teach you the melody that will lead you to the Shadow Temple... This is the melody that will draw you into the infinite darkness that absorbs even time... Listen to this, the Nocturne of Shadow!"

Sheik pulled out his harp and played a morose tune. The tune might have, in better circumstances, seemed pleasant and soothing...but not now. Link followed along, and after what seemed much too long, he knew the song by heart.

"You cannot reach the Temple by normal means. You can only approach it using this song." Sheik put away his harp. "Now, you cannot enter the temple just yet. There is an item you must seek, and it is rumored to lie at the bottom of the well. But, you are much too large to obtain it now..."

"Then what do I do? What hope is there if I can't even get this item?"

Sheik thought for a moment. "Meet me back in the Temple of Time! There, I will help you find a way."

Link nodded and as he turned to head to his horse, Sheik's arm touched his shoulder.

"First, you must speak to the man in the windmill..."

Sheik then threw down his arm, disappearing in a flash of light.

Confused, but determined, Link ran toward the windmill, throwing open the door underneath it.

A man stood there, an angry look on his face, playing his music box. Link walked over to him and the man started screaming about how a kid had ruined everything seven years ago, with a song he played on his Ocarina. The man then started playing the song over and over...

Link pulled out his Ocarina and copied the song. Link then jumped when he realized that it was now raining heavily inside the building.

"Wha - You did it again! You played that Ocarina! Grrrrrrrr!"

Link knew why the man was mad; the spinning contraption was now spinning so fast that it was a blur. Link quickly ran from the building, not wanting to be anywhere near the now extremely angry man, who looked as if he was going to strangle the nearest person.

Well, now he knew how the well had been drained...

He ran, toward the trail to Hyrule Field, where the horses were calmly grazing in the grass. Link grabbed Epona's reins and hoisted himself up onto her saddle, kicking her sides as he did. She screamed and took off down the trail, Midnight watching them leave with a strange look in her eye, as if she too knew something was wrong with Maple...

Epona ran as fast as she could, faster than she had ever run before. Link kept her pace steady, never letting her slow down too much. The faster he would get there, the faster he could save Maple...

When they came upon the gate, broken clean in half, Link quickly jumped off. "Stay here," he said to Epona, who neighed and nodded her head. He then ran, jumping over the broken section of the gate, and ran down the dark and deserted street.

It took about five minutes to reach the center of town, where the ReDeads greeted him. He paid them no attention, running passed even as they screamed and advanced. He had only one thing on his mind: Maple, where she was, if she was okay...

Link burst into the Temple of Time and ran straight for the back room, once hidden by the Door of Time. He wasn't surprised to see that Sheik was already waiting for him, standing in front of the Pedestal of Time much like he had when Link had barely woken.

"I - I'm here," Link panted, bending over slightly as he tried to calm his breathing.

"Link..." Sheik said, calm as could be. Link's blood started to boil: why was he so calm? Didn't he understand the grave situation that Maple was in?

Sheik turned around, his arms folded across his chest. "The Hero of Time is called such because of the ability he is said to possess; the ability to jump backwards and forwards in time." He gestured to the pedestal behind him. "If you replace the Master Sword in the Pedestal of Time, you will be returned to your original time, at the exact moment the sword was extracted seven years ago."

Link blinked, clearing his head. "You mean, I can go back in time seven years?"

Sheik nodded. "Now, I will teach you the melody that will transport you back here when it is needed. Listen to the Prelude of Light."

Sheik pulled out his harp and they played together. After Link had the song memorized, which was faster than normal because of his determination to quickly save Maple, he put away the Ocarina and looked up at Sheik.

"Good luck, Link."

"What about the village?"

"Let me take care of the village. I'm counting on you, Link!" He then threw down his arm, disappearing.

Link approached the Pedestal of Time, pulling out the Master Sword as he did. Navi flew out of his hat and looked at him. Link then looked down as he gently slid the blade into the slot inside the pedestal. As he did, a strange light surrounded him, and suddenly his body was light as a feather, and he felt himself float up into the air.

His mind then went blank.

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><p><strong>I was too lazy to look up the convo between Link and Sheik in the Temple, so I just winged it. Hope I did a good job :) And hope you enjoyed :) Might be a few days before another chappy comes up, so have a good weekend!<strong>

**And thanks for the reviews XD**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hello my devoted readers! I'm back XD Glad to be, too. Working on homework all weekend was not nearly as much fun as working on this story, so it's a huge relief.**

**Thanks for all the great reviews you guys (72! O_O)! And thanks for your patience :D**

**So, from here on out (pretty much until the end of the story...which is coming soon D,:) I'm going to be switching back and forth between the child and adult timelines. When I do, I'll make an indication beforehand, so pay attention :)**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

_**Child**_

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><p>When the light faded, the thing that appeared on the other side surprised me.<p>

_He's supposed to be gone!_ I told myself when the light cleared, leaving Link standing next to the Pedestal of Time. Floating above his head was Navi, and on his back was his Kokiri Sword and Hylian shield, which was still too big for him. I had expected the next time I'd see him would be when his shield would fit his body better...

Link looked around, blinking, apparently as confused as I. Had he been expecting to disappear, just like I had been expecting him to?

Link's eyes widened when they landed on me, and even Navi sighed in relief. That made me wonder: what had happened to him in that light? What had he seen?

"Maple," he sighed, running over to me and placing his hand on my cheek. I felt my face flush at the suddenly intimate look in his eyes, how they smoldered... What had _happened_?

"Um..." I mumbled, backing away slightly, suddenly uncomfortable. I mean, come on! The boy was being oddly forward for someone so young...

Link seemed to realize this at the same time, for his face flushed as he backed away as well, scratching his head. "Uh, this is going to sound very strange, but what is the last thing you remember?"

I started, not only at his words, but at the way he said them. There was a maturity there that hadn't been there a few moments before.

"Uh, you pulling the sword out of the Pedestal...?"

Comprehension lit his face. "Oh, I see. You didn't come back with me, then."

"Come back?" I exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

He reached into his pouch, pulling out the Ocarina of Time. "I'll explain in a minute. First, let's head to Kakariko. We have things to do there."

My head was reeling. What was going on? What was he talking about? How did he know that we had to do things in Kakariko? Did someone tell him that we needed to go there? My head reeled even more as Link played a song that I had never heard him play before. It was much more complex than the other songs I had heard him play, and the tune was oddly morose.

When the song was over, he quickly grabbed my hand as a light started to engulf us. I then gasped as I felt my feet leave the ground, and everything went completely white.

When my feet touched the ground, I looked up and was suddenly astonished that we were now standing above the Kakariko graveyard. We were on a ledge overlooking the various headstones, one that I had noticed a few times before but had never been able to reach.

Link's hand was still around mine, and he pulled me forward, toward the fence built to keep anyone up on the ledge from falling. He then hoisted me up and over the fence, my feet hitting the ground below with a lurch that shook my entire being. Link followed right behind, the pain I had felt clearly not affecting him.

"We need to go to the bottom of the well!" He said as he pulled me forward, toward the village.

"What do you mean? The well's full of water! We can't _breathe_ underwater, incase you hadn't noticed!"

"We need to drain it."

I started. "Drain it!" I yanked my hand from his, causing him to spin around to look at me. "Will you please tell me what's going on?"

Link blinked a few times, twirling his hands as he did. He looked around the graveyard before dragging me to a far corner, so that the little boy wandering between the headstones wouldn't overhear.

"You'll believe what I tell you, right?"

"Yes, of course..."

Link looked around nervously before pulling me closer to him. Our proximity made me slightly nervous, but he didn't seem to notice. "You see... I'm...from the...future."

I blinked a couple of times. I then threw my head back and laughed. "Are you _insane_?" I yelled.

Link threw a hand over my mouth, stifling my laugh. "I'm serious!"

It took me a moment to realize that he was, indeed, serious. "Really?" I asked, my voice muffled by his hand. He lowered it.

Link nodded. "You see, when I pulled that sword from the Pedestal, I was sealed in the Sacred Realm for seven years before being released as the Hero of Time. I'm now working on saving Hyrule from Ganondorf, and to do so, I need to collect an item at the bottom of the well, which couldn't be done with my adult body..."

I frowned, my head now pounding. "So...you're from seven years in the future? How is that possible? You don't _look_ like you're from the future..."

Link shrugged. "I just put the Master Sword back inside the Pedestal and the light took me back here."

I let out a deep breath. There was no way that he could be telling the truth! How could he be from the future, when he looked exactly the same as he had a little over five minutes before?

"No way..."

But even as I said it, I knew it was true. There were just too many things about him that were different: his mannerisms, his apparent knowledge, even the way he _looked_ at me. There was an intimacy in his stare that made me wonder just how close we would be seven years from now...

"I'm telling the truth. Really, I am."

I nodded, no longer really feeling anything. My body seemed to have gone into shock, leaving me with a numb, strange feeling going through my body...

"Whoa!" I heard Link yell. The last thing I saw was Link's face suspended over mine as I fell to the floor.

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><p>I must not have been unconscious for very long, for when I awoke the sky was unchanged and we were still in the graveyard.<p>

"Maple?" Link asked when my eyes fluttered open. "You okay?"

I sighed, pushing myself up. "Yeah, I think so... How long was I out?"

Link shrugged. "Five minutes, maybe. Barely caught you before you hit the floor... What happened?"

I sighed. "Oh, I don't know, maybe the idea of you coming from the future had something to do with it?" I said, my voice highly sarcastic.

Link just smiled, helping me up onto my feet. "Now, let's go drain the well so we can get going!"

"Wait!"

Link looked back at me, since he had started to walk away from me and toward town. "What?"

My growling stomach seemed to catch his attention. "We haven't eaten since before Lord Jabu-Jabu! I'm starving! And also exhausted..." I glanced up at the dark sky.

Link's eyes followed mine, and then he sighed. "Yeah, we should eat, but sleep can wait. I really need to get this done. The faster I do, the faster I can save y - " His words then faded into the sky.

I frowned. Had he almost said that he was trying to same _me_?

I ignored this, however, not really wanting to know. I then nodded and Link led the way to Daisy's house.

Since the carpenters had taken the day off and weren't in town, Daisy's meal was larger and much more eccentric than usual. Barbecued steak, with steamed veggies and rice. I made a mental note to myself to ask her for the recipe; I wanted to be able to make it on my own someday.

Halfway through dinner, Link nudged me. "You're a way better cook."

I started. "Better than Daisy? You kidding me?"

Link smiled and shook his head. "Nope, not kidding."

When our stomaches were full and all I wanted to do was lay down and go to sleep, Link dragged me to my feet and out the door.

"Do we really have to go?" I asked, stifling a huge yawn.

Link laughed. "Yes, we do. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner you can go to bed, okay?"

"O - okay," I said, finally loosing the war with the yawn.

We walked into the operating room of the windmill, through a door below it. Inside was a wooden contraption that was spinning slowly. Off in the corner of the room was a man playing a music box, singing to himself happily.

"Huh," Link mumbled after a few moments.

"What?"

"That man looks...different in the future..."

"How so?"

Link smirked. "He's always angry."

I giggled. This man didn't look like he was even capable of being _disappointed_, let alone angry.

We walked up to the man, and as we did, he looked at us. "I'm a music man who loves to go around and around! Go around and around!"

"Excuse me, sir, but what are you doing?" Link asked.

The man smiled. "I'm trying to come up with a musical theme inspired by this windmill...going around and around and around!" The man then continued to play his music box, and I realized that the song coming from it seemed to represent just that: something that went around and around...

I watched Link pull out his Ocarina and begin to play. The tune was the same one the man was playing on the music box. As he played, the man stopped playing his own instrument and began to hop up and down.

"That's it! That's it!"

The man played along and after the song was done, I felt something wet hit my forehead. I looked up, and realized that small storm clouds had appeared above our heads, inside of the building, and were squeezing out drops of rain.

It was a song that summoned rain!

I turned around to see that the wooden contraption in the middle was now spinning quite fast. Too fast, in fact. At this rate, the well would be dry in a few minutes...

"Go around, go around, go around..." The man continued. When the rain began to hit his head, however, he seemed to come out of his trance. "What? It's going way too fast!" He then looked down at Link and I with horror. "What have you done?" He exclaimed.

Link and I ran from the building as the man's face became distorted with rage.

"Well, now I know why he's so mad all of the time in the future," Link mumbled as the door closed behind us. I knew the man wouldn't follow: he wasn't allowed to leave his post. I walked over to the edge of the fence, which overlooked the well.

"Link, look!" I said as I looked down at the well below us. Link joined me and we both looked down in awe.

The water was slowly draining before our eyes! It was about halfway down!

"Cool!" Link said, smirking. "So, are you ready?"

I sighed. "You sure we can't go to bed and do this in the morning?" Link laughed before running down the stairs. "Link!" I yelled after him. I followed, growling the entire way until we reached the well.

By the time we were there the water was gone, revealing a cavern at the very bottom, and a ladder leading down.

"Ladies first?" Link asked, motioning for me to head down.

I shook my head. "I'd rather you went first," I mumbled. I still had on my tights under my dress, so I had no issues with this.

Link shrugged. "Alright." He then glared at me. "But no running off the moment I'm out of site! If you disappear, I'll chase you down personally and drag you down there myself!"

I sighed. I admit, I _had_ planned on doing just that but, let's face it, I wouldn't have gotten very far. He would have either caught me, or I would have felt too guilty to get very far...

"Alright, then. Let's go."

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><p><strong>I know it's a little short, but I had a long day and was falling asleep while writing this, so I decided to cut it short. I'll work on the next chappy tomorrow and hopefully won't fall asleep this time XD<strong>

**New art is posted on my dA site! Follow the link in my profile to see it! It's called "don't mess with her" (yeah, sucky title, I know). It's Maple fighting Phantom Ganon and it's a frontal, so you can see her eyes :)**


	40. Chapter 40

**Alright, I'm slightly more rested today (only slightly) so hopefully writing this chapter will be better than the last...**

**40 Chapters? O_O Wow! Considering I only started this story two months ago!**

**Hope you enjoy XD**

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><p>The cavern at the bottom was fairly short. It dead ended after only a few seconds, the only thing at the end being a small crawlspace next to the ground. And there was a great deal of evil flowing from out of that hole. I could also hear strange voices which made me shiver and made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.<p>

"Oh look at that: a dead end. Looks like there's nothing to do down here, so - "

I had started to turn around to walk back down the cavern, but Link's hand closed around the back of my dress, halting me and causing my words to get caught in my throat.

"Oh no you don't," he said, pulling me back to him. He spun me around so I was facing the crawlspace. "You can go first, since apparently you're all to ready to leave me alone."

I growled. Our journey was supposed to be over! Yet here we were, climbing through a crawlspace at the bottom of the well, to who-knew-where. For someone who was ageless, you would think that I would be able to enjoy a break every once in a while, but oh no! Apparently the goddesses thought that, not only should I be cursed with immortality, I should never enjoy some time off!

I reluctantly crawled through first, with Link right behind me. On the other end, the corridor abruptly dropped down. I waited for Link to emerge from the crawlspace before walking toward the ladder in front of me, leading farther down.

"I can go first," Link offered, stopping me before I stepped down.

I sighed in relief. I was weaponless (I had left my bow back at Daisy's), so the idea of him going first calmed me slightly. "Okay."

At the bottom, the corridor continued on for about twenty feet before dead-ending.

"Another dead end..." Link said. Just as he started to walk down the corridor, there was a rustling from up above us.

"Look out!"

Link had heard it and jumped out of the way as a Giant Skulltula dropped from the ceiling, apparently fading through the solid stone as if it was nothing. Link took care of it easily, and I noticed that even his swordsmanship was better than it had been before. He even wore a smirk on his face as he fought, twirling his sword easily in his hands after it was slain.

"Now where do we go?" Link asked, looking at the wall blocking our way. "There's nothing here: no treasure chest, no item, nothing! What was the point of even coming down here?"

Navi flew over to a skeleton, which was propped up against the wall to our left. "I can hear the spirits whispering in this room..." She said, examining the apparently inanimate skeleton. "'Look for the eye of truth...' That's what they are saying!"

I nodded. I could hear them too. They made up only a small part of the voices that I could hear whispering in this place. The other voices were saying, "Get out!" Or other sinister things that made my hair stand on end.

"That must be whatever item I need to find," Link mumbled. "The 'eye of truth'..." He turned to me. "What do you suppose it does?"

I shrugged. "Probably what it says. It probably lets the user see through illusions or deceptions. I've heard of it before..."

Link looked back at the wall. "Illusions, huh?"

He seemed to be thinking along the same lines as I. "That wall probably isn't real. I mean, that Skulltula dropped through the solid ceiling, right? Maybe there's not really a ceiling, either..." I looked up, my mind reeling as I thought about there not really being a ceiling above us at all...

"There's probably a ceiling," Link said, looking up as well, "otherwise the villagers would just fall right through the ground, right?"

I laughed at myself. I then walked up to the wall in front of us and stared at it for a long moment. It _appeared_ normal, solid. But then I noticed that there was a boulder sitting to our right, halfway embedded in the wall...

I lifted my hand, reaching for the wall. When my fingers should have brushed against the stone, they simply melted through as if the wall wasn't really there!

Link had been watching me, a curious look on his face. When my hand disappeared through the wall, he walked toward me, gently grabbed my outstretched hand, and pulled me forward. I flinched, naturally expecting my face to slam into solid cement and stone, but it didn't. Instead, we emerged into a large room.

The room was square, with two corridors leading off in different directions about thirty feet in front of us. Directly in front of us was a small stream of water, which emptied into a large hole at our feet. The streams of water came from either corridor. I suddenly imagined that the corridors probably met up somewhere in front us. The well was apparently much larger than it appeared from above... I had no doubt that it was as large as the village above us.

There was debris everywhere; in piles in the corners, strewn on the floor. As we walked passed it, down the corridor to our right, I heard a strange barking sound from behind us. I paused, apparently hearing the noise just a split second after Link, and turned around.

I gasped. There was a large floating skull coming at us, its head completely engulfed with a strange, green flame. And it was absolutely huge! The skull itself was larger than the two of us combined!

Link grabbed my hand and we ran farther down the corridor, apparently deciding that this enemy was one to avoid. We followed the corridor as it wound around to the left. The corridor widened considerably, and we quickly dashed out from in the small stream, jumping up onto a small ledge. We then pressed ourselves against the wall.

The floating skull came around the corner and...kept going! It didn't even acknowledge us!

That's when we realized that there was a room in front of us, on the other side of the stream. It was barred off, so there was no apparent way to get through, but there was also a strange, slug-like creature on the other side.

Link apparently understood my look of confusion, for he gestured to the strange creature and said, "That's a Like Like. They'll swallow you up if you get too close."

"You...run across a lot of those in the future?" I asked, my voice oddly high.

Link smirked. "Sometimes."

I groaned. The Like Like completely grossed me out. "I don't think I'll like the future that much..."

Link laughed. "You'll warm up to it; trust me."

Again, I had the strange feeling that I was missing something...

We continued down the corridor, following behind the floating skull, but not close enough that it noticed us. The corridor then curved around to the left again, an on the wall was a strange tile with a face painted on it.

"This wall..." Navi said as she flew up to the tile, "it says something here... 'Danger below...' That's what it says."

Link rolled his eyes. "Am I seriously the only one here who _can't_ read?"

I looked at him, shocked. "You never learned to read?"

He glared at me slightly. "You know that..."

"No, I mean in the seven years you were in the Sacred Realm? You never learned to read?"

Link laughed, despite the still disappointed look on his face. "You basically asked me that same question after I came back."

"I did?"

Link stopped laughing. "Actually, no, not in so many words. It was more like, 'Did they raise you in seclusion and teach you? Or what?'" He laughed again. "You said it exactly like that, with this odd look on your face. When you found out I just slept the entire time, you about fell over!"

I felt the color drain from my face. It was strange, hearing about a conversation that we hadn't yet had. Link seemed to notice, because he suddenly stopped laughing and scratched his head.

"I'm sorry. I keep forgetting that you don't know this stuff already... I'll try not to mention it anymore."

"No it's...okay."

Link shook his head. "No. I might mess something up if I say anymore. And I don't want to mess...anything up."

_Again_... That odd feeling...

"Let's go."

We continued on to the left, before stopping about halfway down. Up on the wall was the statue of a fish-head, and pouring out of its mouth was a small waterfall.

"The water flowing out of this statue is flooding the entire floor," Navi said, after taking a look at it.

"So this is where all that water is coming from... I wonder if the well will eventually fill itself back up because of this fountain..." Link muttered. I just nodded, still slightly in shock from everything going on. Link looked down at the ground below our feet, in front of the statue. "Look, the Hylian Family Crest..."

We continued down the corridor. I then realized that there was another one of those strange tiles with the face on it.

"This one says, 'Danger above...'" Navi read.

Link pushed me out of the way, right when another Giant Skulltula dropped from the ceiling. I watched him take it down, another smirk painting his face, and frowned to myself. So those tiles' warnings were literal... I would have to pay more attention from now on...

After it was slain, Link and I followed the curve around to the left again. As we turned, I realized that the floating skull had lapped us and was coming up behind us quite fast...

Link pushed me down to the ground, leaning over me as he did. I felt him jolt as the creature ran into his large shield, and when he jumped up, I realized that the green flame around it was now gone. Link quickly pulled out his slingshot and shot it, causing it to scream and fall to pieces, splashing us as it fell into the water.

Link sighed in relief. "Now we don't have to worry about _that_ thing anymore."

A little farther down the road, the corridor branched off to the right. Link and I quickly walked down it, knowing full well where the other path led, and found ourselves in a room full of water. There was a set of bars dividing the room about halfway through the room. I looked down, realizing that there was a drop off, leaving the room full of water at least twenty feet deep. At the bottom was a treasure chest, on the other side of the set of bars.

"My guess is, we have to get down there," Link said, following my gaze. I just nodded.

Link and I dove in, swimming down through a hole in the bars. Link swam passed the chest, since there really was no way to open it yet, and swam up to the surface, me right behind him. When we emerged, we climbed up onto a ledge with a door and quickly walked through.

The room we walked into was completely empty except for six coffins and six torches, only one of which was lit. I also noticed that there seemed to be something lurking on the other side of the room, and whatever it was was moaning.

I froze. I knew what it was. It was a form of ReDead, but instead of being just a lifeless zombie, it was a mummy, completely wrapped in white cloth: a Gibdo.

Link motioned for me to be quiet before disappearing behind a coffin. I just watched in horror as Link popped silently up behind it, startling it, before slashing away. I watched it fall to the ground, moaning and screaming, but Link kept slashing, apparently immune to the creature's screams. The Gibdo finally went down, disappearing in a flash of fire, leaving behind nothing.

"Look!" Link said, after it was gone, "Over here!"

I walked to him and at first I had no idea what he was gesturing to. I then realized that he was gesturing to the coffin directly in front of the only lit torch; the lid was thrown to the side, revealing an empty coffin.

I nodded. "So, it came out of this coffin, then..."

Link nodded as well, pulling out a Deku Stick and lighting it with the lit torch. He then walked over to one of the unlit torches and lit it.

I watched as the coffin lid slid to the side, and out of it flew a handful of Keeze. I stood back and watched as he took them down, with a combination of his sword and slingshot. Once they were all gone, which didn't take very long, Link peeked inside of the now open coffin.

"Nothing," he said, hopping back down.

"So, lighting a torch opens a coffin, huh?" I asked, looking around the room, noting that there was a torch in front of every coffin. Only two torches were lit, now.

"It appears that way..."

Link went around the room, lighting each torch to open every coffin. Two more had Keese in them, while one had another Gibdo. Since the Gibdo was busy trying to crawl out of the coffin, Link was able to take it down easily. The last coffin held...nothing.

"What did we miss?" Link asked as he walked down each row of coffins, looking inside of them. Link then finally sighed and jumped inside one of them, hopping back out with a key in his hand. "A key!"

"A key?" We had never run across a key before...

"Yep!" He walked over to me, showing me. Sure enough, it was.

"Why do we need a key?" I asked.

Link raised his eyebrows. "To open a locked door, maybe?" He said, his voice highly sarcastic.

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, I get it. Let's get out of here, already!"

We made our way back to the fountain, where Link stood on the crest in the floor and played the lullaby on his Ocarina. After he did, the flow of water coming from the mouth abruptly stopped. Slowly, the water running down the corridors was sucked down into the ground, leaving behind only slick stone and cement. The lack of water also revealed a hole below the statue, but after looking down we realized that there was nothing special down there.

We quickly turned back down the corridor, heading back to the first room. As we did, we passed a crawlspace, which I made a mental note to remember later. Once back in there, the hole in the ground that had stood directly in front of the entrance was now empty of water. At the bottom of it was a chest.

We jumped down into the hole, Link pulling out the bundle of bombs from in the chest. I then realized that there was another crawlspace down there, which I quickly began to slide through. Link followed behind me.

The room we emerged into was small. There was a metal grate covering the wall directly in front of us, which led up onto a small ledge. Link quickly took down a Giant Skulltula before we climbed the grate up to the ledge. Another door stood there, waiting for us. We walked through.

The door closed behind us, leaving us in a strange room. The floor was completely covered in soft dirt, and sticking out of the dirt were four, grotesquely white arms, with hands at the ends with bright red nails that came to sharp points.

"Link," I whispered, as he started to walk toward the nearest hand.

"Yes?"

"Do you have an extra weapon I can use? I left my bow and this doesn't...feel right..."

Link nodded and approached me, reaching into his pouch as he did. He then pulled out an elaborate bow, along with a quiver.

My mouth fell open. "This - this is _yours_?" I asked.

Link smiled. "Yes. You pretty much had the same reaction when I found it."

I threw the strap of the quiver over my shoulder, not bothering to adjust it since I was just going to give it back. I quickly grabbed an arrow and nocked it, ready for whatever was coming.

Link walked toward one of the hands, carefully and slowly. When he was fairly close, it suddenly came to life, springing down and grabbing Link around the neck.

I screamed.


	41. Chapter 41

***Sigh* so much homework DX Aren't the weekends supposed to be relaxing and fun?**

**Oh well...**

**Alright, so after "re-educating" myself on the Dead Hand, I've discovered that I hate it even _more_ than I hate ReDeads. I think its the dripping blood everywhere and the blank eye sockets... But most of all I _know_ its the whole "gapping mouth" thing. Anything that has a mouth that opens farther than physically possible gives me nightmares... Like on _The Grudge_... *shivers***

***0* Not cool...**

**If you don't know what a Dead Hand looks like (I'll describe it below) and you want to see for yourself, just Google "Dead Hand Zelda" and look at the images...**

**Again... *shiver***

**Hope you enjoy!**

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><p>Almost the instant that the hand was wrapped around Link's throat, the ground on the other side of the room exploded from underneath, sending dirt and debris everywhere. I threw my hands over my face, shielding my eyes from the flying dirt. I then turned and gasped.<p>

It was worse than the ReDeads by far...

A creature was slowly making its way over to Link, who was gasping for air under the hand's grasp. Its body was completely white, blood smeared all over its sickly body. Its skin hung in rolls, clinging to its ribcage before billowing out under a large stomach. Its neck was as long as Link was tall, and its face... It was like someone had stretched skin taut over a skull, whose jaw was dislocated and hanging from the face, leaving a gapping hole. It had only one, bright red eye and the other eye socket stared back at me like an endless black abyss. Its teeth were large and pointed. The creature also didn't have hands, and instead had stubs for arms that were dripping in bright red blood...

I screamed again, although this time I ran toward Link, thrashing under the hand's grip. I reached up and started to yank at the fingers gripping him so tight, feeling the nails cut into my own fingers as I did. The hand just gripped tighter, squeezing Link's neck until his face started to turn purple, the nails digging into his flesh and causing small trails of blood to trickle down his collarbone...

I let out a roar of rage, reaching behind Link and yanking at his sword. It came loose and I immediately swung it down at the hand, cutting it clean off of the bony arm it was attached to. The hand released its death grip on Link's neck and he went down, clutching at his neck and gasping for air.

I turned, just in time to see that the body was now upon him, its mouth opening even wider than I thought possible. Drool dripped down from its jowls and it moaned at the thought of having a new meal...

I screamed again, this time bringing down Link's sword on the creature's head. It screamed and, in another explosion of the earth, disappeared back into the ground, leaving a trail of blood behind it as it did.

I knelt down next to Link, who seemed to have finally recovered. His neck was black and blue, however, and was still stained from his blood. I could see five definite pinpricks in his neck, each of them oozing fresh blood. I quickly reached over and healed them, draining my energy only slightly.

It was quiet, only three hands left sticking out of the ground like grotesque trees. The creature was gone, but I could feel it moving around underneath us. As I looked at my feet, I realized that the ground was covered in bones and fresh body-parts...

I shivered.

"What _was_ that thing?" Link whispered.

Navi was the one who answered. "A Dead Hand. The only way to lure it out is to let it grab you. Once it surfaces you can defeat it."

I held out Link's sword, intending him to take it again, but he shook his head. "Keep it for a moment."

"Why?"

"Because you can cut me free again and then I'll take it back to fight that thing."

I nodded, feeling my face go white at the thought of Link getting grabbed by one of those hands all over again.

"Do we _really_ need to fight this thing?" I asked.

Link smirked only slightly and nodded. "My guess is, yes."

I moaned.

I followed Link over to one of the remaining hands sticking up out of the earth. As we walked toward it, I heard something smaller emerge from the ground behind us, and I turned to see that the hand I had chopped off had regrown, bringing the room back to a whopping four hands sticking from the earth.

Great. The hands reformed themselves. _Fantastic_ luck on our part.

I flinched when Link ventured too close to the hand, it responding by snapping down and grabbing him again. I couldn't help but scream, even though I knew what to expect. I quickly swung the sword down, all too eager for this thing to disappear, and as the hand fell apart I threw the sword back to Link, who caught it with ease. He then ran toward the Dead Hand, who had emerged almost the exact moment Link had been captured, and sliced down with the sword, hitting it square in the jaw.

The Dead Hand screamed again, disappearing into the earth with such force that the two of us were thrown backwards, into the closest wall. I groaned. How long would this fight _last_?

As we walked away from the hand that had just been destroyed, it grew back and Link handed me his sword. Link then walked up to the next hand and looked back at me, smirking from over his shoulder. He then boldly walked up to the next hand, not making a sound when it grabbed him.

I threw down the sword, hacking off the hand and giving it to Link in one fluid movement. I then turned, all too ready for this fight to be over, and shot an arrow at the Dead Hand as it lowered its head to make a meal out of Link. My arrow hit, coming out through the top of its head, just as Link's sword connected.

The Dead Hand screamed again, but this time it didn't disappear into the ground. It simply fell over, its bottom jaw completely limp as it flapped around. When it hit the floor, it proceeded to twitch every few seconds.

Link and I both sighed out of relief, him walking across the room to open the chest that had appeared. When he emerged from the giant chest, he was holding what looked like a magnifying glass, the handle a bright purple, the lens a deep blue with a crystal shaped red section in the middle. On the top of it were three red spikes.

"The Lens of Truth!" I said when he showed it to me.

I quickly examined it, showing Link how to attach it to his forehead so he could use it to see and fight without having to hold it. Otherwise, he had to hold it up to his face so he could see things unseen by the normal eye. Link quickly tried it out, holding it up to his eye and looking around the room. It was like seeing a young boy get to try out a new toy for the first time. He suddenly gasped.

"Hey! There's a chest over there!"

He opened it and showed me a large amount of money, which he immediately stuffed into my hands.

"Think of it as future payback," he said, refusing to take it when I tried to give it back.

We left the room, quickly heading back to the room with the fountain that no longer was working. We climbed up out of our hole and Link immediately attached the lens to his forehead like a bandana, looking around for anything we hadn't seen before.

"There's a room! Right over there!" He exclaimed. I trusted him and held back a gasp as he disappeared through a wall. I was not far behind.

The room we emerged into was small, with a cell in each corner of the room. Almost the moment we entered, however, something that looked like a shriveled hand dropped from the ceiling, Link and I barely managing to dodge out of the way. Before I could get a good look at it, Link spun around and slammed his sword down on it, causing it to shrivel and burst into a ball of flame.

Once the creature was gone, I started to walk toward a cell in the nearest corner, but Link grabbed me. "There're holes in the floor everywhere."

I nodded, grabbing his outstretched hand, and followed him.

He lead me back through another fake wall, and around a sharp corner. When we walked back into the room, we were on the inside of one of the cells, a large chest in front of us. Link quickly opened it while I stayed completely still. I didn't want to walk forward in case I fell through the floor. He pocketed the compass he pulled out and then we made our way back to the main corridors. We made our way to the crawlspace that I had noticed earlier, Link leading the way through it.

The room we emerged into held nothing but a locked door, which Link quickly unlocked. When we walked through, the next room had a couple of Fire Keese flying around and a Beamos in the very center of the room.

"Don't move," he said, gesturing to the floor. I nodded.

I quickly blocked out our hearing and then shot down the Keese as Link threw a bomb at the Beamos. Both of us were careful not to step forward too far, to prevent us from falling below. Once they were all gone, Link carefully made his way across the room, through a door on the other end. I waited patiently. He came back only a minute or so later.

He sighed. "Nothing."

I shrugged and then we made our way back to the other room. We followed the corridor until Link briefly disappeared through another wall, emerging seconds later with another key. We then followed the corridor again, Link disappearing and coming back with another key a short ways down the corridor.

"Hiding them in plain sight," he said, after pocketing them.

We walked back to the room with the four cells, using one of the keys to unlock another door in there. All that was in the small room was a Deku Baba and a couple of possessed jars that flew at us. After they were gone we went back to the hidden cell room and we walked to the very center of the room, Link stopping just next to a strange wooden formation. Link then looked at me as he grabbed my hand and jumped down.

It was a different kind of strange, falling through a floor that looked solid verses walking through a wall. It took your breath away, made your heart stop for a brief moment before pounding against your chest. But the fall was short, and we landed on a wooden balcony overlooking a large room full of what looked like green acid. There were more wooden platforms suspended over the acid, but it didn't make the room look any more inviting.

We jumped down, and I noticed that there were a few silver rupees sitting on the platforms. Link didn't go to them, however, and instead made his way to a corridor not far from us. It was blocked off with rocks, and when Link pulled out a bomb I quickly protected our ears. The rocks exploded, and we quickly ran down the corridor.

It took me only a moment to realize that I wasn't going to enjoy this corridor very much.

There was a ReDead ahead of us, crouched down on the floor, seemingly asleep. Link didn't hesitate and ran toward it, pulling out his sword and bringing it down on it before it even had a change to stand. Once it was slain, Link rounded the corner and opened a chest containing a map, which he pocketed. We then went back to the room with the acid and silver rupees.

I waited as Link effortlessly jumped from platform to platform to collect the rupees. He then motioned for me to follow him, and we quickly climbed a ladder. At the top was another rupee, another ladder. We climbed it as well and at the top was a barred off door and another rupee. After Link grabbed it, the door opened and we quickly walked through the door.

We stopped, Link pulling out his map and compass. "There's nothing else left for us down here," he said as he examined it.

"Does that mean we can leave, now?" I asked.

Link smirked and nodded. "Yes, we can go."

As we made our way back to the entrance, I paused. "We got the Lens of Truth awhile ago..."

"Yes..."

"So, isn't that why we came down here in the first place?"

Link looked at me, his brows furrowed. "Yes..." He answered, dragging out the word.

"So, then why have we been down here so long?"

Link didn't answer until we had completely emerged from the well. I waited as patiently as I could, although by the time we stepped out onto the grass I was ready to smack him. My elated mood at being free stopped me, though.

"I just...wasn't ready to leave yet."

"Why not?"

Link smirked at me. "I wanted to spend time with you, that's all."

I smiled, but suddenly was sad. This meant he was leaving. "So, now you have to go back, huh?"

Link sighed. "Yes. I have to."

"And what if you don't?"

Link smiled. "I honestly don't want to know what would happen if I didn't go back."

My heart fell. I wasn't ready for him to leave. I wanted him to stay a little longer, if at all possible. "So it would be selfish of me to ask if you can stay one more night, huh? You look exhausted... Daisy has a couple of beds open, like always. It wouldn't hurt to take a night off, right?"

Link nodded, but his eyes were bright. "Yes, it would," he said, answering all of my questions in three words. "I can't afford to wait even one night."

He pulled out his Ocarina and played another tune I had never heard him play before. I closed my eyes as he grabbed my hand, and suddenly we were flying, engulfed in a bright, white light...

When I opened my eyes, we were back in the Temple of Time. He led me to the chamber in the back, where the Master Sword stood innocently, as if it had never been touched.

This was it. This was the start of seven long years of waiting for him...

I felt my eyes water as he walked up to the sword. Before he reached it, however, he turned back around and approached me, setting his hands on either side of my face, making me look him straight in the eyes.

"Listen to me, okay?"

I nodded. "O - okay," I sniffed.

"I'll be back. In seven years. Hell, you never know! I might have to come back again, so I might disappear for only a moment!"

Even though I knew he was trying to stop it from happening, it did anyways. I started to sob, my face falling into my hands. He gently forced it back up.

"Don't cry, okay? When I leave, don't run off and sulk. Just wait it out. I'll be back, I promise."

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to control myself. But it was no use. I sobbed harder than I had ever sobbed before.

"And... I'm really sorry."

"S - sorry f - for w - what?" I managed to ask.

He sighed. "You'll know sooner or later."

Link then smirked, turning my head to the side and lightly kissing my cheek. He then let go and, before I could gather up my strength to tell him good-bye, he was gone.

Seven years...was going to be a long time to wait.

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><p><em><strong>Not<strong>_** looking forward to the next couple of chapters. I enjoy going through a Temple without Maple as much as Link does... This is going to be hard DX**


	42. Chapter 42

**I have a lot of homework to do this weekend, so I might not get to post for a couple of days. Just thought I would let you guys know :)**

**Oh, and check out the Orchestrated version of the Shadow Temple theme... _waaayyyy _creepy**

**Enjoy XD**

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><p>Link sighed out of relief. Being back in his adult body felt right and natural. Being an adult stuck in the body of a child wasn't exactly...comfortable. At least now he understood how Maple had felt all those years...<p>

_Maple_...

She was the only thing that he had enjoyed about being back in the past, but only just. Even though he loved her...she wasn't the same Maple who loved him back. However, seeing her younger self again had made him appreciate even more the time he had spent with her. He could see definite changes in her behavior and manners between then and now... She was now older, more mature in her actions and words...

Link reached into his pouch and wrapped his fingers around his Ocarina. When he pulled it out, however, re realized that it wasn't his Ocarina at all. It was a strange, orange orb about the size of a large grapefruit. He looked at it, suddenly realizing that he had new memories, ones that had changed only slightly...

_Maple saw him for the first time after seven years. Her reaction was much the same, but as she sobbed in his arms she said, over and over, "You were right, you were right! Seven years!"_

_Maple never asked him what he did while in the Sacred Realm. She already knew._

_After he arrived, she gave him this very orb, calling it 'Din's Fire,' and said that she had retrieved it for him after exploring a nearby Temple._

_"It sets all nearby things on fire. It's handy for lighting multiple torches at the same time."_

Link blinked, staring down at the orb, feeling his chest swell and eyes water. His going back had changed little, yet what had changed made so much more difference. Maple had obviously went to great lengths to help him the best she could, even while he was away...

Link reached back into his pouch and pulled out his Ocarina, playing the tune that would transport him to the Shadow Temple. After he played it, the light completely engulfed him, and soon he was standing above the graveyard in Kakariko. He then turned and walked down a dark corridor directly behind him.

The stairs in the corridor were steep, heading down at an angle that made him extremely nervous. It then led to a medium sized room, with multiple unlit torches arranged around a raised platform in the very center of the room. Link ignored all of these, heading straight for a large stone door on the other side of the room. He pushed on it, but nothing happened.

Link turned, noticing that Navi was now flying around his head, clearly as anxious as he. He walked over to the platform and looked around at all the unlit torches. He then reached into his pouch and pulled out Din's Fire, twirling it around between his fingers.

"How am I supposed to use this?" He asked himself, in a quiet whisper.

As he stared at it, he suddenly remembered.

_"Here is a note on how to use this," Maple said, "but don't open it unless something happens to me and you need to know..."_

Link reached back into his pouch, feeling around for the small note, his heart sinking. He didn't know how to read: she knew that...

He finally found it and unfolded it, looking at Maple's elegant script that he didn't understand. How he wished he could read it...

"I can read that for you."

Link looked up at Navi, who was hovering above his shoulder, facing the note.

"Thanks."

Navi stared at it for a moment, and then began to read:

"'Link, To use Din's Fire, you have to use magic. Clear your mind and concentrate on the warmth inside of the orb. Then imagine that warmth growing in intensity until it burns everything around you. As long as you clear your mind of everything but this, you can do it! I believe in you! And... I love you.'"

Link's chest swelled. This note had been written long ago, at least a couple of years, maybe even right after he had been sealed inside of the Sacred Realm. She had loved him for that long?

He was suddenly determined and all too eager to get to Maple as soon as he could. The faster he could find her, the faster she would be safe and back in his arms...

Link gently folded the paper back up and put it in his pouch. He then looked down at the orb in his hands.

_Clear my mind,_ he thought to himself, _and concentrate on the warmth..._

It was much harder than he thought it would be. No matter how hard he tried, all he could think about was Maple. Was she safe? Was she hurt? Was she waiting for him right this moment?

Link groaned, shaking his head, looking back down at the orb. The longer he stared at it, the more he began to wonder if it was at all possible for him to do this. Magic? He had never used magic before, at least not like this. He had used it to make his sword stronger at times, but he had never used it to create fire... Was it even possible?

"You're a Hylian," Navi suddenly said. "You _have_ magic in your blood! You can do it, Link!"

Link nodded, trying again to clear his head. He ran his fingers across the surface of the orb, noticing for the first time that it was indeed warm. He began to try to concentrate on that warmth, and only it.

But again, all he could think about was Maple.

Link grunted, his forehead beaded with sweat. He grunted again, soon his concern for Maple overtaking everything in his mind. He breathed heavily, squeezing the orb so tight that he thought that it was going to burst under his grip...

Link heard himself yell, all his frustration and worry rushing out of him with enough force that his head felt like it was going to burst. He felt the orb start to heat to a point that he could no longer hold onto it out of fear of burning his hands.

But he couldn't let go. The orb was glued to his hand, and the heat intensified his yell, turning it into one of rage. He could feel the power flowing from it, and the force of it was like a hurricane, throwing dirt and dust everywhere. It was growing so strong that he couldn't hold onto the orb anymore...

Link pried his fingers off of the orb, and the moment he did the orb exploded, sending light and heat everywhere. Link threw up his arms, covering his face, as the wave of heat rolled passed him as if he wasn't there. When he lowered his hands, the wave of fire had died down, leaving him looking at the orb, still floating in the air, and all of the now lit torches.

Link started, holding out his hands just as the orb's glow died completely and it fell, right into his palm. He then looked down at the strange object, a new wonder lighting his eyes.

"Wow," he murmured.

"Yeah," Navi whispered.

Link jumped when a loud grating sound broke the silence from behind him. He whipped around, only to find that the large stone door was slowly raising up into the ceiling, revealing a long and dark corridor.

"Alright, here we go..." Link said, putting away Din's Fire and then walking toward the corridor. Navi flew right beside him, lighting the path.

The corridor was extremely long, at least a five minute walk. Link then finally saw a wall up ahead, the corridor rounding to the right. Link started to run, sprinting around the corner...before he had to come to a screeching halt, sliding down onto his rear.

A black gap split the corridor in front of him in two, and he barely managed to stop before he went sliding down into the hole. Link let out a deep breath, steadying himself.

He needed to slow it down. He wouldn't be any help to Maple if he ended up dead...

Link got to his feet, looking across the gap. He saw a small Hookshot target against the wall in front of him. He nodded, pulling out his Longshot and aiming for the target, which was set just below the ledge. He pulled the trigger and he flew across the room, grabbing onto the ledge just as the hook let go of the target. He then pulled himself up and looked at the dead-end in front of him.

He approached the wall, which was covered in that same strange face that had been painted all over the place at the bottom of the well. As he did, a voice broke through the silence.

"The Shadow will yield only to one with the eye of truth, handed down in Kakariko Village..."

Link had already guessed as much.

As the voice faded, more voices started to whisper and moan around him, and not one thing they said was understandable. It made his hair stand on end.

He reached into his pack and pulled out the Lens, holding it up to his eye. It revealed that the wall was fake and he confidently walked through into the next room.

More of those faces greeted him, on the wall to his right. To his left was a statue and some pillars topped with human skulls. He imagined that, when seen from overhead, the contraption would look a lot like an old clock. There was one lit torch, on the far side of the room, and Link could see a doorway against the farthest wall, held inside of what looked like the open mouth of a snake. The gap in the floor between the floor and the tongue of the snake was much too far to jump across, and there was no Hookshot target in sight.

Link walked over to a sign on the far side of the room, standing right next to the gaping hole in front of him. Navi quickly flew to it.

"'Only one who has sacred feet can cross the valley of the dead,'" she read.

This doorway would have to wait until later, then.

Link hooked the Lens to his head and turned around, instantly seeing that all but one of the skulls were fake. He also saw that in the far corner was another fake wall, which he instantly ran to. He walked through the door on the other side, moving the lens out of the way as he did.

Another corridor with another apparent dead-end. As he approached the far wall, another voice spoke to him, breaking through the other moaning voices.

"One who gains the eye of truth will be able to see what is hidden in the darkness."

He found himself in what looked like a maze, and he didn't move the lens from his face, seeing the truth with only the eye over which it covered. The other eye showed him what any other person would see, so he quickly saw another hidden corridor. Link ran toward it, and as he got closer, one of the whispering voices spoke to him.

"Shadow Temple... Here is gathered Hyrule's bloody history of greed and hatred..."

Link shivered and continued on.

Another dead end, another voice...

"What is hidden in the darkness... Tricks full of ill will... You can't see the way forward..."

Link smirked slightly. "Yes I can..."

He found himself in another maze, exactly like the maze before. Possessed jars started to fly at him, which he easily blocked with his shield, the jars shattering on contact. He then continued, walking through a fake wall to a door hidden behind it. As it closed behind him, he gasped.

Six white arms were sticking out from the ground. Link instantly felt his body tense.

A Dead Hand. Not again...

Even though Link had kept cool and collected while fighting it earlier, he had been scared out of his mind the entire time. He knew that this creature would give him nightmares for the rest of his life. Now, here he was, alone with one...

"Damn," he muttered, pulling out his sword and walking slowly toward one of the hands.

All of the hands were arranged in an hexagonal shape, so the two closer ones were side-by-side, not far apart. As a result, when Link approached the two hands, both of them reached down and grabbed him.

"Look out!" Navi screamed, as he felt the earth explode from somewhere behind him.

He struggled, feeling all ten fingers respond by gripping even tighter to his neck. His sword was still in his grasp, so he quickly swung, feeling it come in contact with one of the arms, one hand dropping to the floor. Link quickly spun, swinging it again, feeling the other hand drop. He then turned, just as the Dead Hand lowered its head, its mouth agape...

Link yelled, swinging down his sword. It connected, and the creature's jaw flopped around loosely. It then turned, quickly moving away from Link before disappearing below the earth.

Link flipped backwards, away from the hands that he had just destroyed, since they quickly regrew. He watched them sprout from the ground and moved carefully, making sure that the next time he was caught, it was only by one.

Link felt the fingers grasp his neck and he waited, feeling them squeeze. He waited until the Dead Hand was almost on top of him before bringing his sword down, cutting off the hand. He then turned to the Dead Hand, quickly concentrating on his blade, feeling the magic flow from his fingers into the metal. He wanted this battle to be over: he couldn't waste anymore time.

Link roared, slashing the Dead Hand in the face. The blow was so strong that its jaw came completely off, flying across the room. The Dead Hand fell to the ground, twitching.

Link swung his sword around and sheathed it. Another perk about being an adult: he was much stronger now than he was then.

Link walked over to the treasure chest that appeared after the creature was slain, and opened the lid. What he found inside made him gasp.

The boots looked almost exactly like his Iron Boots, except they weren't laden with iron: they were laden with gold, and on each heel were a pair of bright, golden wings.

Link quickly slipped them on, and as he walked he was surprised to see that the boots had no grip, causing his feet to slip and slide across the dirt like it was ice. He jumped into the air and moved his feet, seeing that the boots allowed him to hover as if there was an invisible platform under his feet. The moment he realized this, however, he fell to the ground.

So, they let him hover above the ground, even if there _was_ no ground...

Now he knew how to cross that giant gap.

He carefully made his way back to the maze, finding a different hidden corridor this time. He walked through the door, which locked behind him, and found himself facing a sleeping ReDead.

This creature was significantly less intimidating now that he had faced the Dead Hand...

It was taken down easily, and he was surprised that the ReDead's scream didn't effect him like it had that one day Maple had been attacked. The sound just bounced across his ears like the whispers that constantly surrounded him in this Temple...

Link turned, pulling out his bow, and shot down the Keese in the room. Once they were slain, another chest appeared, inside of which was a map.

Link made his way back to the room with the strange clock contraption and the "valley of the dead," as the sign had called it. He approached the statue, which was shaped like a giant bird, and as he did another voice tickled his ears.

"Make my beak face the skull of truth. The alternative is descent into the deep darkness."

Link looked around, remembering exactly which pillar had the true skull. He then looked at the statue, how it was set on a contraption with a slab, which he easily grabbed onto. He started to push, spinning the statue until the beak was facing the real skull. Once the statue was in place, he heard the set of bars on the other side of the gap lift, revealing the doorway.

Link ran toward the tongue, his feet slipping and sliding. As he approached the black abyss, his boots glowed, and he easily crossed the large gap as if there was an invisible platform underneath. The boot's powers faded, however, and he barely managed to grasp the edge of the tongue, grunting as all his weight was put on only one arm. He swung his other arm up, pulling himself until he was standing safe and secure on the stone.

Link walked forward until he was in a long and extremely dark corridor. Once he was there, he sat down, switching his boots quickly so that he was no longer fighting for traction. He then walked down the corridor, feeling it descend rapidly, so fast that his ears popped.

The room at the bottom was a perfect octagon, a Beamos stationed in the very center of the room. Link quickly pulled out a bomb, lit the fuse, and threw it at the Beamos, covering his ears as he did. As the bomb exploded, the Beamos fell to pieces, leaving him to examine the room freely.

There were three corridors in this room, not including the one he had just walked down, but all three were blocked off by walls of debris. Link quickly looked through his lens, seeing that two of the walls were fake. He walked down the corridor to his right and walked through the door at the other side.

The door locked behind him, and in front of him were two lit torches and two Gibdos. Link quickly took down one, and once it was down the other started to make its way over to its fallen comrade. Since it was distracted, the second was taken down even easier. Once they were gone, a chest with the compass inside appeared, and Link quickly left, heading back into the previous room and straight toward the other hidden door.

The room was completely square, and in the middle was a spinning set of statues, both in the image of Death, each holding a giant scythe, both of which were spinning around the room. There were also five silver rupees in this room, and a handful of wooden planks.

He would have to tread very carefully here.

Link quickly and carefully started running around the room, ducking whenever a scythe got to close and jumping over the planks whenever one was in the way, and collected the various rupees. A couple of them were hidden in niches in the walls, which gave him temporary relief from the spinning scythes, and the last rupee was next to a platform, spinning around in mid-air. Above the platform was a Hookshot target, which he quickly used. He then jumped down, grabbing the rupee as he did, and quickly ducked.

Once they were all collected, a door on the other end of the room opened. Link quickly ran toward it, jumping into a hidden corridor to avoid the scythes. Link then noticed that the floor in the corridor was fake and above the hole was another face.

"This wall...it's saying something! It says: 'If you want to see a ferry to the other world, come here...'" Navi said. Link looked down to see that the wall of the gap below him was covered in a metal grate. At least he knew if he went down he could come back up.

Link carefully went down, dropping down into what looked like a cage. On the other side of the cage was what looked like a river of purple mist, and floating on the river was a giant boat. Aside from that, there was nothing to do there, so Link climbed back up the grate and into the room with the spinning scythes. He then dodged the scythes and dove into the corridor he had opened, inside of which was a chest with a key.

Link looked at the key with confusion. He must have missed something, then. He had visited all he could in this area...

Link went back to the room where the Beamos had been, and toward the one real wall of debris. Link placed a bomb and walked away, covering his ears. When it exploded, it revealed a locked door.

Link smiled as he placed the key in the lock.

He was getting closer.


	43. Chapter 43

**Why is it that I can't concentrate on my homework? I mean, really! All I want to do is write XD Well, I guess that means I've chosen the right career path :)**

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><p>Link emerged into another corridor just as dark as the others. It descended slowly, and about halfway down a Giant Skulltula dropped from the ceiling. Link quickly used his Longshot, hitting it in the face. It crumpled, its legs wrapping around itself, before it burst into flames.<p>

The corridor turned to the right and Link quickly followed it. It turned to the right again, descending more, before running into another Giant Skulltula, which was easily slain. Link laughed at himself. To think that these things used to scare him when he was little. Now they were no more than a nuisance blocking his way to Maple.

The corridor turned to the left at the bottom, and ahead of him was a sharp drop off. Link jumped down, finding himself standing in front of a large guillotine, which was constantly rising and falling. The blade was incredibly sharp and instantly he became nervous. If he didn't time this right...

Link rolled, barely avoiding the large blade. When he straightened, he realized that there was another guillotine about forty feet down the corridor. He groaned.

As he approached it, another Skulltula dropped from the ceiling. These things were really starting to annoy him...

It was soon gone, and Link watched the moving blade, waiting for the perfect time to move. The blade moved up and he quickly rolled, feeling the blade fall just as he cleared its path. He sighed to himself, looking down the corridor as it turned to the right, seeing no more of the blades, secretly glad. He followed the corridor, and as he neared the next turn, to the left, Link heard the unmistakable sound of a falling blade.

_Not again..._

Link followed the corridor to the left, and saw that the room ahead of him had two more blades. But these blades were on a long walkway, suspended over a black abyss. Link could vaguely see rising and falling platforms in the distance, as well as a few stationary ones. He groaned.

Link suddenly heard the sound of something falling up above him. He felt a small breeze ruffle his hair...

Link jumped out of the way, just as a Wall Master fell from the ceiling. Link quickly stabbed it, his sword running completely through. He then continued to hack at it, cutting off fingers and chunks of skin. The thing finally screamed and burst into a ball of flame.

Link sighed and straightened, turning around to look at the walkway in front of him. The nearest blade was no more than twenty feet away, on the other side of a gap, and from what he could see it stood right on the edge of another drop off. He sighed and stretched his arms, pumping them. He then took a deep breath and ran.

He jumped the small gap with ease and slowed only momentarily, waiting until the blade rose before picking his speed back up. As he cleared the blade he jumped again, across another gap, and onto the next section of the walkway. Another blade stood ready about ten feet away, on the edge of a drop. Link continued to sprint, timing it so that he was able to dodge the blade and drop down onto the walkway below without too much of an issue. Link swore that he felt a small tug on his tunic, and wondered if the blade had caught it. The thought made his heart beat even faster.

Link stopped for a moment, bending over and taking deep breaths. He then looked ahead, seeing one last blade and a platform on the other side. As he neared the blade, at a walk, a floating skull appeared out of the black abyss, covered completely in red flame. He quickly threw up his shield, the skull bouncing off of it and falling to the ground. He then swung down his blade, cutting the bone clean in half. He wiped his brow, looking back up at the blade.

Link put away his equipment and backed up. He then sprinted forward, timing it just right so that he avoided the blade and jumped across the large gap. He grabbed onto the ledge of the platform in front of him and pulled himself up, taking a deep breath. He didn't have time to revel in his accomplishment, however.

A Stalfos dropped from the sky once Link was standing straight on the platform. Instantly, Link drew his sword and pulled up his shield, feeling the creature's blade land squarely on it, causing his arm to vibrate painfully. Link retaliated, swinging his sword from behind his shield, hitting the Stalfos right in the ribs.

The two of them backed away from each other, each of them knowing that the other was skilled. Neither of them lowered their shields and both peeked out from behind them, crouched in fighting stances. Link twirled his sword, his heart pounding, adrenaline pumping through his veins like a drug. He kept thinking to himself, _Yes, a real fight!_

Link had much more skill now, compared to when he had fought one of these for the first time. Then, it had been difficult, hard to keep up with the Stalfos movements. Now he knew just what to do, his sword just an extension of his own hand.

As the Stalfos lunged at him, growling, Link easily sidestepped it and swung his own sword, feeling it connect. The Stalfos grunted, jumping backwards, and then immediately jumped back toward him, high enough that it completely cleared Link's head. Link rolled forward, barely missing the Stalfos's sword, and quickly spun around, his sword slicing through bone. The Stalfos growled and retaliated, its sword finally finding a mark; Link's left shoulder.

Link screamed in pain, momentarily dropping his sword. The Stalfos tried to use his moment of weakness against him, but Link was fast. He ducked down, missing the Stalfos's swing, and reached down to grab his own. He then spun, slicing through more bone, which actually fell off. Link then used the Stalfos's own tactic, swinging for it when it hollered in pain.

The Stalfos fell to the floor, falling to pieces as it did. The pieces then disappeared in a small flash of light, leaving Link by himself.

Sheathing his sword was difficult with the deep gash in his shoulder, the motion causing him to scream in pain. Link then reached up, placing his hand over the wound. When he pulled his hand away, he discovered that it was covered in blood. He sighed. He would have to clean this up before he could continue.

Link took off his equipment and then stripped off his tunic and undershirt. He then reached into the pouch and pulled out some medicine and a couple of bandages. He was suddenly grateful that Maple had even thought to pack any of these. If she hadn't, then he would be in some serious trouble.

He cleaned the wound with some water from his canteen and then smeared on some of the clear ointment. He then took the bandages and wrapped them securely around his shoulder, which proved difficult with only one arm to work with. He then tied the cloth tight, with some help from Navi, and donned all his clothing and equipment again. He then moved around his arm, feeling the gash pull painfully, but it would work.

Link took a look around, seeing some rising platforms to his left, and another platform far to his right, the gap between him and it far too large, even for the Hover Boots. Link quickly pulled the Lens back out and attached it to his head, easily seeing an invisible platform that covered the majority of the gap. He also saw that there was another invisible platform a little farther to the left, next to the visible one, and Link could see a door on the other side.

Link backed up, taking a deep breath. He then ran forward and jumped, landing on the invisible platform, and kept going, jumping again and immediately turning to the left, jumping to the next. One last jump, and Link was standing in front of a door, which he walked through.

The corridor was lit with an eerie green light, and turned to the right a few feet away. When he turned the corner, the Lens revealed an invisible spinning scythe, exactly like the one he had encountered earlier, and immediately ducked, barely avoiding loosing his head. Link took a deep breath, still crouched, and made his way around the room.

Link soon saw that there was a Like Like guarding a door on the other end of the room. Without standing, Link pulled out his bow and nocked an arrow, letting it fly. It connected with the creature, and Link shivered in disgust as its slug-like body twitched in response.

It took three more arrows before it melted into a puddle of murky brown water, seeping through the cracks in the tile below so it completely disappeared.

The door was barred off, so Link quickly scanned the room, all the while still crouched low enough that the scythes didn't harm him. He easily saw that there were a couple of Keese hiding in the corners of the room and he quickly took aim, taking them down with his bow. Once they were all slain, the door unlocked and Link quickly ran to it.

Inside the small room were two small chests, one of which was invisible. One held a blue rupee, and the other a bundle of arrows, which Link took gratefully. He had been getting low on them. Link then made his way back to the previous room, onto the platform where he had fought the Stalfos. Once there, he realized that the rising and falling platform in front of him was much too far to make by just jumping.

Link sighed, sitting down and switching his boots. Once the Hover Boots were on, Link gave himself a farther running start than usual, considering he had less traction. He then ran and effortlessly made it onto the floating platform, just as it started to raise. Once he was on it, he immediately turned and ran for the nearby walkway, sliding around once he landed, causing him to have to fall down onto his rear to stop himself from slipping right off.

Maybe he didn't like these boots as much as he thought...

While he was one the ground, since it wasn't apparent that he'd need the boots for awhile, he took a moment to switch back to his normal boots, relieved when he stood up and didn't start sliding around.

Link then turned to his left, running toward what looked like a Beamos and a couple of blade traps off in the distance. He also saw five bright, silver lights near them, which he guessed were those strange silver rupees. As he got closer, he realized that his assumption was right.

He quickly took out a bomb and threw it at the Beamos that stood in the middle of the moving blades, covering his ears as it exploded. He then maneuvered his way around the blades, collecting the easily accessible rupees lying in their path. After they were all collected, a set of bars that had been blocking a nearby doorway lifted, and Link ran to it, avoiding the moving blades as he did.

The corridor turned sharply to the left and again to the right, leading him into a room with what looked like dropping spikes in the very center. The spikes were dropping in quick succession, one after the other, blocking the only way through the room.

Link saw a sign to his left, which he ran to. Navi then read aloud: "'Only one with the eye of truth will find the stone umbrella that protects against the rain of blades.'"

Link nodded, putting the lens back in front of his eye so he could see.

He turned, instantly seeing a large stone block embedded in the wall, completely hidden from the naked eye. Link ran to it and yanked on it.

Moving a block that size was definitely harder without Maple helping him. It weighed a ton (at least it seemed like it did) and within seconds, Link's forehead was covered in sweat, his arms and legs protesting loudly. His wounded shoulder throbbed painfully as the muscles under it worked unhappily.

Once the block was out of its spot in the wall, Link ran around to the other side of it and started to push, making sure that the block was the first thing to come under the "rain of blades," as the sign had called it. And the moment the blades started pounded against the top of the block, Link's entire body began to shake from the force of it.

Link pushed on the block until it was directly underneath both sets of falling spikes. Once the block was there, Link used a small niche in the wall to walk around to the other side of the block, where he started to pull.

Link felt immediately when the first set of spikes came free from the block, for with each pound it made on the floor, Link's feet vibrated and he had trouble keeping a grip on the block. But Link kept pulling, until the block hit the edge of a small ledge. Once it was there, both sets of spikes fell and rose freely, shaking the floor.

Link saw that he had no where else to go, so he climbed on top of the now stationary block, seeing that there was a switch on top of what looked like a cell. He jumped up onto the platform and used the tops of the spike-contraptions to jump over to the switch, and after stepping on it, a small chest fell to the floor on the other side of the room. Link used his Longshot to propel himself over to the chest, which held a key. Link then left, heading back to where the Beamos had once been.

Link walked back down the narrow walkway, the one on which he had almost slipped off because of the boots, and took a left so that he was now facing another guillotine. The Lens showed him that there was another invisible platform on the other side of the blade, which without the Lens looked just like more black abyss. He dodged the blade and jumped onto the platform, and on the other side was another platform, sliding left and right on what looked like a chain. He jumped on this one as well and then jumped over to a niche with a locked door.

The room into which he entered looked like any ordinary room to the naked eye, but after looking through the lens, he realized that there were spikes covering small sections of the room. There were also many silver rupees floating in the air above him, the only apparent way to reach them to use the Hookshot targets to zip across the room and nab them one-by-one. There were also two ReDeads in the room, sleeping peacefully.

After the monsters were slain, a small chest appeared, inside of which was some money. Link then went around the room, using the Hookshot targets to nab the rupees, which had to be carefully planned out and aimed correctly. Otherwise, he had to drop to the floor and start over because he had over or undershot a rupee. After they were all collected, a door on the west side of the room opened up.

The door locked behind him, leaving him in a room with a lone blade trap, which was moving back and forth between a set of stairs. In the very center of the room was a large vase, on which was painted a skull. Blue flame was sprouting out from the top of the vase.

There were a couple of Keese in the room, which were easily taken down. Once they were gone, the door opened. Link then walked up the large staircase, up to a large balcony overlooking the door and vase. On the balcony was a couple of Bomb Flowers.

"I wonder what I need to do with these," Link asked himself, hearing his voice crack from lack of use. It made him wonder; how long had he been down here? A few hours? A full day? He wouldn't know until he was done.

Running completely on instinct, Link grabbed one of the bombs and tossed it into the open maw of the vase. It exploded, sending shards of clay everywhere. Link had to duck behind his shield to avoid getting stabbed by a fairly large chunk. Some smaller pieces sliced his skin and cheeks, and Link knew that he would probably look like he got in a fight with a very vicious Cucco once this was all over.

When the pieces stopped flying everywhere, Link looked down to see that a small key was now laying next to a large chunk of clay. He jumped down and grabbed it and left the room. In the previous room, Link used his Longshot to get up on the platform overlooking the entire room, on which was a locked door.

Another corridor, this one guarded by blade traps. On the other end was what looked like a large fan, and the wind it produced was strong enough to send him flying backwards, into the wall. Link groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"What the hell?"

It didn't take him long to figure out what to do.

Link, donned with the Iron Boots, clanged down the hallway, barely moving fast enough to avoid the blades, but now heavy enough that the wind wasn't able to send him flying. He clanged around the corner to the left, taking down a Giant Skulltula, and followed the next corner around to the right. He then realized that there was a large gap in the corridor, and another fan on the other side. He was too heavy to jump across the gap, and he didn't have time to switch his boots and jump before the fan would just send him back down the corridor...

How was he supposed to do _that_?

Link took a quick look around, seeing that there was a wooden plank hanging on the wall above the fan. Link used his Longshot and was easily pulled across the gap.

Link groaned inwardly at the sight of the next room.

It was just one long walkway, on either side of which was a blank expanse of black abyss, and more fans. On the other side of the room was what looked like a closed eye switch and a locked door.

Link slowly made his way down the walkway, staring at the eye switch. Why was it already closed?

As he got nearer, he discovered why.

The eye switch suddenly opened, letting out a small ball of flame that instantly made a beeline for him. He threw up his shield, barely blocking the fire, and when he looked back up, the eye had closed.

So, that's how it was going to be...

Link pulled out his bow, nocking an arrow and waiting patiently. After about a minute, the eye opened again and Link instantly shot and then ducked, avoiding the ball of flame coming for him. He then walked through the door on the other end.

There was a couple of sleeping ReDeads in there, and Link quickly switched his boots, trying not to make too much noise. After they were switched, Link quickly took them down.

Nothing happened once they were gone.

"Here..." Navi whispered. "I can hear the spirits whispering in this room... 'Those who have sacred feet should let the wind guide them. Then, they will be led to the hidden path.' That's what they are saying!"

Link groaned. _Again_ with those damn shoes!

Link, once in the previous room, used the Lens to see that there was a hidden room to his right, directly across from one of the fans. He understood immediately.

Once the Hover Boots were on, Link waited until the nearest fan stopped blowing to stand in front of it. Once the wind started to pick back up, Link started to run, toward the niche in the wall at least twenty feet away from the walkway.

It was like he was flying! The wind carried him with such speed across the room that the Hover Boots were still going strong when his feet touched ground. Bad thing, however, was that he didn't stop and was slammed into the door.

"Ow..." Link muttered as he pushed the door open, feeling his face and nose throb. "Stupid boots..."

More Gibdos and blade traps. Ugh... It was all just too repetitive for Link. All he wanted was to get to Maple asap...

After switching his boots and slaying the Gibdos, Link used the Lens to see that one of the piles of debris hid a chest. He bombed it and pulled a key from it. He then walked through the locked door on the other side.

He knew where he was now. He had seen this room earlier; the room with the river and boat. He was standing on a platform below the boat. To his right was the platform on which he would have to use to board the boat, but the ladder leading up to it was too short.

Link moved another large block across the room, setting it under the ladder, and used it to climb up onto the platform. Link then jumped onto the boat, which was of fairly simple design, and saw that a golden Triforce was painted onto its floor.

He knew what to do.

He quickly played Zelda's Lullaby on his Ocarina and the boat gave a giant lurch as two bells started to slowly ring, the sound almost acting like a metronome for the boat's movements. Link made a mental note to thank Impa for teaching him that song.

The corridor down which the boat was traveling appeared long. Link couldn't see the destination anywhere. He sighed, reaching in to his pouch and pulling out his canteen, which was only about half full after dressing his wound. He sat down, taking a long swig.

After about five minutes, Link heard a moan from above him. He instantly sprang up, recognizing the sound, and pulled out his sword and shield just as the Stalfos jumped onto the boat with him.

Link groaned. He was already exhausted, and didn't really need this right at the moment, but he had no choice. He fought quickly, taking advantage of his better skills to help the fight go faster. He stabbed and jabbed whenever there was a second of vulnerability, and finally the Stalfos went down. But Link didn't have even a moment to breath a sigh of relief, for the second it was gone, another dropped down in its place.

Link let out a yell of anger and frustration. He couldn't take it anymore!

Faster than he thought possible, Link whipped out Din's Fire, his anger instantly lighting a flame as bright and hot as the sun. Link screamed, and as he did the flame shot out from underneath his fingers, knocking the now flaming Stalfos off of the boat and into the water.

Link sighed when nothing else joined him. He looked down the corridor, still not seeing the end, and sat down, laying back with his arms folded behind his head.

He just needed a little shut-eye, that's all...

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><p><strong>I know I cut it off in a weird spot, but the chapter was just getting too long XD That and I need to do homework O_o<strong>

**Alright readers, halfway through writing this chapter, I discovered an artist on YouTube who has _AWESOME _remixes of the LoZ music. Loved it so much that I downloaded all of the songs he/she has made so far onto iTunes O.O The artist's name is hylianensemble. Check out their stuff!**

**Also, after listening to hylianensemble's version of the Serenade of Water, I realized that this song is the theme for the Zora Queen in TP XD I had always thought her theme sounded familiar O_o**


	44. Chapter 44

**Sorry this took so long you guys... Sister-in-Law came into town to visit us for a few days and so we've been hanging out with her.**

**Thanks for the reviews, you guys :) And yes, I get it HyRules. The review was a prank. But still, kinda offensive. And be nice to Odnet! Or I'll kick your virtual butts!**

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><p>"Link! This ship is sinking! Abandon ship! Get onto a safe platform!"<p>

Link jerked awake to find Navi flying around in front of his face. The words she had spoken then came to him and he jumped up, rolling to the left and onto a platform below. He turned around just in time to see the boat sink into the water, disappearing into the black abyss below.

Link sighed. "Wow. That was a close call..."

Navi moaned, clearly frustrated. "You think?"

"How long was I asleep?"

Navi was quiet for a moment. "About half an hour."

Link sighed. "No wonder I'm still tired..."

Link turned around, seeing that there was a doorway on the other side of a large gap, full of the same water that the boat had floated on. There were two statues standing on the ground on the other side, one of them laying flat on the ground, its head on the platform where Link was standing. He guessed that the rest of the statue had fallen down into the abyss below. _Too bad_, he couldn't help but think, _I could have used that as a bridge..._

There was no apparent way across yet, since the gap was too far for the Hover Boots, and looked to his right, seeing a doorway. He quickly walked through.

The room he emerged into was square in shape, with four large pillars in the middle of the room, and two torches on the far side, lit with blue flame. There were two doors on the other side as well.

Link walked forward, heading directly toward a door...and suddenly he slammed into something hard. He hit it so hard that he swore he heard his nose snap.

Link hollered, grabbing his now bleeding nose. "Goddess!" He yelled. He stretched his face, his nose protesting heavily. It was broken, no doubt.

He blinked through his now watery eyes, reaching out with his free hand and touching the invisible brick wall. He moaned, pulling out what was left of his bandages and holding it up to his nose. He then flipped around his Lens, instantly seeing the wall previously invisible to him.

Link sighed, turning and following the wall until there was a small break in it. He instantly saw that this small room was another maze.

He followed the walls, until a door was in view. Just as he was about to walk to it, a Floormaster appeared as if from nowhere, bashing into him so hard that he went flying into the wall behind him.

"What the _hell_?" Link yelled, getting back up as he pulled out his sword. "What is with my _luck_ the last few minutes?"

Link slashed through the creature and it screeched. Just as it burst into three smaller pieces, another Floormaster rammed into his shield, almost knocking him back over. He ignored this newer one, instantly slashing into two of the smaller pieces in one swing. He then destroyed the last one and turned, slashing into the larger. When it split into smaller pieces they were all taken out easily with one swipe.

Link walked through a door, which locked behind him, and found himself in a room with another one of those strange wooden arrangements in the middle, just like the one at the bottom of the well. Since Link still had on his Lens, he was able to see an invisible Floormaster, sitting directly under the wooden contraption.

He took care of the creature easily, and after it was gone the door opened behind him and a small chest with a key appeared. He then left, heading through the next door in the previous room.

Three more of the giant skull vases stood on a spinning platform. He did as he had done before, climbing the giant staircase and over to the two Bomb Flowers growing in the corner. He then began to toss them, trying his best to get them into the moving vases, which proved harder than he thought. But they all eventually exploded, sending shards of clay every which way, cutting his skin even more than it already was.

The only thing inside was a handful of rupees. Once they were picked up, he walked out of the room and noticed a door he hadn't seen before or gone through. He quickly walked toward it and went through.

Almost immediately after the door shut behind him, the walls on either side started to close around him.

Link's heart leapt into his throat as he took in the large, sharp spikes coming toward him. He backed up toward the door, realizing that it was locked and he had no where to go.

His mind spun, moving quickly as he looked around, examining the spikes. There had to be _something_...

Then Link noticed that the walls and spikes were wooden...

Faster than he thought possible, Din's Fire was in his hands, glowing from the heat emanating from it. He then screamed, letting out a burst of flame. He then heard the unmistakable sound of a couple of screaming ReDeads, before looking up to see the walls of spikes slowly burn away until they were ash. Behind each was a now burnt ReDead and one elaborate chest.

Link understood immediately, stepping over the body of the nearest ReDead, and pulled open the chest. He then placed the large golden key into his pouch before turning around and leaving the room.

Link walked back into the room where the boat had sunk and over to where the only whole statue stood. He then looked across the room, seeing that a handful of Bomb Flowers grew at the floor next to the statue. He quickly drew his bow, concentrating his power on the arrow. It suddenly burst into flames and he let it fly, hitting the clump of bombs with an explosion that rocked the earth. As the bombs exploded, the statue fell over, its nose driving deep into the ground.

He sighed, happy to see that he now had a perfect bridge across the large gap.

He ran across and to the locked door on the other side, which was quickly opened. He walked through, finding himself in a large room, on the other side of which was a door with a large golden lock. There was also no way across, a black abyss stretching across the expanse between him and the other door. Link moved the Lens back in front of his face, instantly seeing many small platforms scattered around the room.

Link carefully made his way across the room, putting on the Hover Boots so that he could cross the larger gaps. Once he was on the other side, he stopped and took a deep breath. This was the only room that Maple could be in. He had been in every other room in the Temple...

He opened the door.

He found himself in a room whose walls were covered in human skulls. The floor was made of stone, and right in the middle was a large hole. He carefully hoisted himself down, grabbing onto the ledge and looking down at his feet, hanging over a drop that he couldn't quite see the bottom of. He could vaguely see something white far below him, but he wasn't sure.

Link took a deep breath and let go.

He yelled, falling for what felt forever, the white floor getting nearer and nearer. When he finally hit the floor, he gasped as he felt the floor buckle under him, throwing him back into the air. He bounced a few times before he finally went still.

Link was standing on a giant drum!

Link suddenly turned, feeling as if he wasn't alone anymore. He then found himself facing a pair of floating hands, each one big enough to squish him like a bug. Each hand beat against the floor, sending shockwaves strong enough to throw him off balance. And behind the hands was a grotesque creature, with a long neck, no head, and what looked like a giant red ball sticking out of its flesh where its head should be.

What was with these creatures and giant eye-balls?

"Navi!" Link yelled, pulling out his sword, "Go find Maple! I'll be fine!"

"Okay!" Navi yelled, disappearing into the dark reaches of the room.

Link faced the creature, swinging his sword. But even as he examined what was floating in front of him, it disappeared, leaving only a pair of floating hands beating against the giant drum. They then began to circle him, every beat sending him flying into the air a couple of feet.

Link groaned, putting away his sword, instantly seeing that it wouldn't work. He needed something that could work better for longer distances. He pulled out his bow, finding it very frustrating and difficult to keep a good aim while bouncing around.

He aimed for the closest hand and let an arrow fly. It connected and the hand started to shake, as if trying to shake out the arrow now stuck in its flesh. The other hand retaliated, instantly slamming into Link, throwing him across the room. Link's body screamed in pain, and he vaguely heard himself yell. Those hands were _strong_...

Link ignored his pain, standing up and shooting at the hand that had knocked him down, watching as it flinched and shook. He then turned, toward the body he could see because of the Lens, and gasped as it growled and charged at him, hands stretched out as if ready to grab him.

Instantly, Link pulled out his sword, slashing at the large glowing orb as it came at him. The sword connected and the creature screamed, falling to the floor.

Link slashed and slashed and slashed, angry and frustrated, wanting to get to Maple now instead of later. He had already taken much too long: at least a good day and a half.

The creature screamed before it jumped up, flying off into the darkness, disappearing. It wasn't dead: Link could still sense it.

Link waited, watching for any movement. And then, suddenly, he felt something slam into him from behind, instantly feeling a few ribs crack from the impact. He screamed, his face hitting the white hide below him. But, again, he ignored it, doing his best to get back up while the hands beat against the floor. He then let two arrows go, one right after the other, each hitting a hand. Link then prepared himself, pulling out his sword while he waited for the charge.

It went down, falling to the floor, and Link slashed away again. Then it disappeared into the darkness.

Link did his best to avoid the hands as they came after him again, but they still managed to throw him around, beating him until he was bloody and bruised. But when it went down a third time Link put all of his power into his sword, slashing at the red orb that was supposed to be a face. It finally shrieked and began to flail around like a rag doll. It then went still, turning completely black before sinking into the ground, disappearing into black, sucking holes that had appeared in the ground.

Then the creature was gone, and in the center of the drum appeared the traditional blue ring of light.

Link's heart raced as he put away his sword and bow. "Navi!" He screamed.

"Over here!"

Link looked in the direction of her voice and saw her bright light, completely lighting a dark corner where he saw a hunched figure sitting up against the wall.

Link's heart fell and he ran toward Navi's light, jumping off of the drum and onto the platform where she hovered. He then ran to the figure and stopped in his tracks before he even approached.

He didn't want to believe it was her; her body was mangled and beaten, almost completely purple. Her dark hair was matted with blood, clumped in so many places that it looked like she had gone through a hurricane. Her clothes were caked with blood as well. Her arms were chained to the wall above her head, and her body was slouched so that her bottom was barely touching the ground.

"M - Maple?" He whispered. "Maple?"

She moaned, twitching just barely. She then lifted her head, it falling back against the wall, and his heart fell.

Her face was swollen and beaten, black and blue. One of her eyes was completely swollen shut, leaving only the bright blue one staring back at him. That was when he couldn't deny it was her: he knew her eyes better than the back of his hand.

"L - Link..."

She then when completely slack, her head rolling onto her shoulder.

"Maple!" Link yelled, reaching down and pulling her arms free from the chains, his body cringing at how her bones cracked and moved at odd angles as they fell to her sides. Her body was completely slack in his arms. "Maple?"

She wasn't moving; wasn't breathing.

"MAPLE!"

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><p><strong>O_O *O* <strong>


	45. Chapter 45

**Wow, this chapter was hard to write XD I also made my own convo between Impa and Link for...soon-to-be obvious reasons.**

**Thanks for the reviews you guys! Really appreciate it! And we've almost reached 100! WOOOO!**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

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><p>It took Link a few moments to realize that the awful sound he was hearing was his own screaming. He then realized that he was screaming her name, over and over.<p>

_This can't happen! It's not possible! She's a goddess! She can't die! No! _"NO!"

Link knelt down on the ground, gently laying her limp body at his feet. "Maple!" He screamed. "Wake up!" He gently slapped her cheek. "WAKE UP! THIS ISN'T FUNNY! MAPLE!" He grabbed her tunic, torn and shredded in many different places, shaking her. "WAKE UP! Maple! ... Please..."

His voice faded as realization hit him: she was dead. There was nothing he could do...

"No..." He sobbed, burying his face into her shirt, feeling her blood cake his already soaking face. "Please, don't leave me. Y - you can't! I l - love you..."

Light touched his face and he looked up, seeing through his tears the ball of light that was Navi, floating above them.

"We need to go..." She whispered, her voice shaking.

"No!" He screamed. "I can't leave her here! I won't!"

Navi floated down so that she was hovering over his hands, still gripping Maple's tunic. "I'm not asking you to..."

Link sobbed and then nodded, standing up and cradling Maple's body in his arms, cringing at how everything seemed to pop and crack as it moved. He then carefully made his way to the center platform and to the ring of light. He didn't feel the crystal surround the three of them; he didn't feel much of anything anymore...

When Link opened his eyes, he realized two things right away that surprised him. One, Maple was still in his arms, completely lifeless. Two, they were in the Chamber of Sages.

Maple had never come with him to the chamber before... Only more proof that she was truly dead. He felt his body go completely numb.

Link laid Maple at his feet, caressing her swollen cheek. He could see his tears falling down onto her face, but he really didn't care. It wasn't like she could care...

"Link..."

He looked up at the sound of the familiar voice, unsurprised to find Impa kneeling down on Maple's other side. Her face was shockingly sad.

"S - she's dead," he heard himself say.

"I know. I am sorry."

"How? How could she die?"

Impa sighed. "I don't know. A being like herself shouldn't have been susceptible to something like death, but apparently we have much to learn about the divine that watch over us."

Link was so numb that he was no longer crying. "So, it's true, then?" He asked. "She was a goddess?"

Impa nodded. "Yes. The lost one you were required to find."

Link looked back down at Maple and gently caressed her cheek, wiping away his tears that had dotted her face. She looked so..._human_. She didn't look divine or special. She looked like a girl who had been beaten to the end of her life... Not like a invincible goddess sent down to protect the world...

"Link." Link looked up at Impa, who was holding a bright purple Medallion in her hands. "Take this with you. And would you please watch over the Princess? It's something I can no longer do myself..."

Link sighed and looked up at Impa. "You sure that's a good idea? I don't exactly have a good track record of keeping important people safe..."

She patted Link on the shoulder. "I am sure."

Something twitched, hitting Link's knee. He frowned, looking down to see that Maple's hand was barely touching his knee. His heart suddenly started to pound. He hadn't imagined it. He would stake his _life_ on the fact that something had twitched down there...

But she was completely still; no breathing, no pulse...

Tears sprang back up in eyes, his moment of hope diminishing until there was nothing left but sadness. For a moment, he had thought...

Impa sighed. "Link, I - "

Maple suddenly let out a large and deep gasp, causing both Impa and Link to fall backwards. Her blue eye was wide, her mouth agape. Her chest heaved, each one of her breaths sounding as if she was trying to breath through water, an ugly gurgling sound filling the silence. And then she started to scream.

It was ear piercing, sending a chill up his spine that literally froze him in place. Even though much of her bones were broken and probably completely out of use, she started clawing at herself; her stomach, her chest, her legs, her face. And her scream never faltered.

"She's in excruciating pain!" Impa screamed, grabbing Maple's arms and pinning them to her sides. "A potion! Hurry!"

Link fumbled for his pouch, his fingers shaking. She was alive! How was it even possible? She had been more than dead a few seconds ago!

He finally found it, a bottle full of thick red liquid. Impa held Maple's head back as Link poured the liquid down her throat. She coughed and sputtered and fought with all the energy she had left.

"Maple, please!" Link pleaded. "This will help! Please!"

Her eye flashed to him, and she suddenly went quiet, drinking the liquid cooperatively. After the bottle was empty, Maple's breathing evened out, even though he could still hear the liquid in her lungs. Her head turned to him and her eye slowly closed. His breathing picked up, thinking for a moment that she had died again, until he realized that she was still breathing.

Impa let out a deep sigh. "Take her to Daisy, quickly!"

Link was in shock. She was alive! "How...?"

Impa shrugged her shoulders. "Apparently, her sisters have more plans for her."

Link started. "S - sisters?"

Impa said nothing, instead picking Maple up and gently transferring her to his arms. "Go!"

Before he could say another word, they were gone.

* * *

><p>"Daisy!" Link yelled as he burst through her door.<p>

"What is it dear - Oh!" She gasped as she turned fully around, seeing Link standing there with a severely beaten Maple in his arms. "What happened?"

"The monster in the well, it kidnapped her. I just found her."

Daisy ran over, her shoes clicking across the stone floor. "And _what_, exactly, was it trying to do to her?" She exclaimed.

"I don't know."

Daisy threw everything off of the nearest bed and then led Link to it, where he gently placed Maple on the clean sheets. Daisy then ran across the room, coming back with a handful of towels, a bowl of hot water, and jars of potion.

She dunked a towel into the steaming water and then wrung it out, handing it to Link. "Clean her face, dear. I need to see the extent of all her injuries."

* * *

><p>Two hours later, all the blood that had covered her body was gone. Link remembered cleaning her hair being the hardest and longest task, involving shifting Maple so her head was hanging over the edge of the bed, Link holding her head while Daisy washed it. It was a good forty-five minute task, and by the time they were done Link's arms ached from the weight of her head and wet hair. <em>How<em> Maple even managed to hold her head up when her hair was wet...

It was worse, however, seeing her cleaned off. Since Daisy had stripped her of her clothes, he was easily able to see the gashes and large bruises covering her body, the worst ones going down her back and between her breasts. It made his blood boil, seeing how bad that creature had beat her.

Maple was now clean, her wounds dressed. She had so many bandages wrapped around her body that Daisy hadn't even bothered to dress her. She was laying in the bed, covered by a thick, clean blanket. She was sleeping peacefully, her breathing now somewhat normal. Apparently, Daisy had said that one of Maple's lungs had been punctured and some blood had leaked into it, causing the gurgling sound she had made earlier when she was breathing. The potion had managed to heal it, but it hadn't worked on much else. Many of her bones were still severely broken, held with homemade splints. It was then that Link finally relaxed.

Link went back to Maple's house, cleaning his clothes and bathing. He caught a quick glimpse of his face, seeing that he had two black eyes from his broken nose. He was also covered in many small cuts and scrapes, and he also had a few large bruises. He was sore everywhere, but he really didn't care. All he cared about was Maple, and all he wanted to do was sit at her side and wait for her to wake...

He returned to Daisy's, dressed in creme pants and a light blue, satin shirt. He felt much better, although he was still worried. He sat down next to Maple's bed, in a comfortable chair Daisy had set up for him. He didn't eat, didn't sleep. He was just too worried.

All he could do was wait.

* * *

><p>Link opened the door, walking back into Daisy's house after going over and taking care of the horses, and gasped when he turned to Maple's bed. She was awake, eating a small bowl of what looked like soup.<p>

"Maple!" He exclaimed, running over to her and grabbing her free hand. "How are you feeling?"

She smiled at him, and he cringed slightly. The swelling around her eyes had decreased, revealing that the whites of her brown eye were completely bright red, and even the small amount of water trailing her lower lid had a pink tinge to it.

"Link," she sighed, her voice hoarse and raspy. "I'm doing okay."

"How long have you been awake?" He asked.

"About five minutes." She raised her eyebrows. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Three days."

Maple sighed, and he didn't miss the way she cringed at the motion. "That long, huh?"

Link nodded. "Yep..." He paused, taking a deep breath. "What do you remember?"

Maple didn't answer until she had eaten all of her soup, after which Daisy promptly took the bowl and left to clean it. She then laid back and sighed. "Not much." She looked at him and smiled. "I remember you coming back, seven years ago."

Link started. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's like I still remember how everything originally happened, yet now I have these new memories of you appearing, and going down into the well. But it doesn't...overpower the other, original memories, if that makes sense."

Link smiled. "No, that doesn't, but I know what you're trying to say."

She smiled back. "And, the creature also said that..." She suddenly looked very sad. "The reason it had been attacking the village was because...of me."

Link raised his eyebrows.

She huffed. "It could sense my powers and attacked the village to take me to Ganondorf."

Link frowned. "Why did it want to take you to Ganondorf?"

She didn't answer right away. He watched as tears brimmed up in her eyes and her lower lip started to tremble. Again, he noticed that the stream of water on one side of her face was tinged pink.

"Because, you were right." She laughed, although there was no humor in it. "You were right from the very beginning." She then looked at him, her face full of a fear he had never seen cross her face before. "I'm a..."

Link touched her cheek. "I know. You don't have to say it..."

Her lower lip was still trembling. "I don't want to be, Link. All I've ever wanted for the last few hundred years was to be normal. And now, I know that I never will be..." She finally sobbed. "Why me?"

She cried for a long while, Link comforting her the entire time. When she finally calmed down, she wiped away her tears and smiled at him.

"When are we leaving for the desert?"

Link started. "You're not coming. You're in no condition to come."

She glared. "Yes, I am. I _have_ to."

"Why do you '_have_ to?'"

"I was told to, by my...sisters." She said the last word with a cringe, as if she wasn't quite sure what to think about the word.

Link blinked. "You have...sisters?"

Maple shrugged. "I guess. They haven't been apart of my life until...well, three days ago, I guess." She must have seen the look on his face, because she sighed. "The three goddess who created Hyrule."

"Din, Nayru, and Farore?"

She nodded. "That's them. They...brought me back to life...said I had more things to do here..."

Link eyes widened. "Wow. So, you're the sister of the three highest ranked goddesses of all time?"

She smiled. "_Youngest_ sister. And, yes, basically. Oh, and did I forget to mention that I'm their princess?"

Link laughed. "Yes, but I'm not really surprised."

"But, as I was saying, I _have_ to go. I have to learn the song Sheik is going to teach you."

Link frowned. "Really? Do you even _have_ an instrument?"

Maple smiled. She then turned, reaching under the covers next to her. When she appeared, she was holding the most intricately carved, most beautiful violin he had ever seen. It was the color of deep maplewood, and delicate patterns of roses and hearts lined the edges.

"It was a gift, from my sisters. I found it when I woke up."

"Wow, it's..._beautiful_."

She smiled down at it, running her finger along its neck. "Isn't it?"

"Does it have a name?"

She shook her head. "I have to name it myself." She then looked back up at him. "You want to hear the song my sisters taught me?"

Link blinked. "Do you even know how to play?"

She frowned. "No, but for some reason I...know."

Link nodded. "Then go ahead. Let's hear it."

Link watched as Maple propped it under her chin, holding the delicate bow in her other hand. He was surprised that she could even hold it, with her bandaged fingers and wrists. But she did without a single sign of pain, her eyes full instead of wonder and awe. She was still for a long moment, her eyes now closed. It was like she was listening to something he couldn't hear...

Then she played.

His hair stood on end as he listened, goose bumps covering every inch of his skin. It was like the song was speaking to his very soul. The song was telling the story of two things growing together, becoming one. And she played it with such grace and knowledge that he wondered if she had lied about never playing before. And then, to make it even better, she began to sing along with it.

Link suddenly gasped, looking down, realizing that all of his cuts and scraps were glowing with a strange light. Even his very soul seemed to glow. He watched as all his injuries melted away, leaving behind perfectly smooth and soft skin. He then looked up, seeing that almost every inch of Maple's body was glowing as well, all of her injuries fading away.

When the song was finished, she lowered her violin, smiling, everything about her perfectly normal again. There was no sign that, moments ago, she had been beaten to an inch of her life.

He jumped up, running over to a small mirror on the other side of the room. His reflection was just as normal; no black eyes, no broken nose. Not even a scar...

"What the _hell_?"

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, so whoever can guess what song she played gets a cookie :D<strong>

**Hope you liked :)**


	46. Chapter 46

**Guess what guys... 100 REVIEWS! YAY! Thanks to all of you (and congrats to Crowlet for the 100th review XD).**

**Alright, the song was the Song of Healing! So, here it goes...**

**MysticalMelodist, SSBB Gamer, Rose Starglen, Aleada, Odnet ;), Diana Lily and Isabella, someone with ideas, and Crowlet... You all get COOKIES! (Yay! I heart me some cookies!)**

**And yes, I realize that the Song of Healing is meant to heal spirits instead of physical wounds, but Maple (and her new instrument) are FAR from normal.**

**Oh, and Me lulz... I didn't notice that at all O_O I'll have to go check it out now XD**

**So, getting closer and closer to the end... Sadness...**

**And I've been trying REALLY hard to work more on my novel, so I might not update this everyday anymore (as you've probably noticed). Really, really sorry, but I'll try my best to update every few days :)**

**Enjoy**

* * *

><p>Link refused to leave for another three days, even though I told him over and over that the song had healed me to perfection. I was in better shape than I had been in my entire life, which was really saying something. Not only was I in top physical shape, my soul also seemed to be in better shape as well, all my depression about my life and who I really was, now gone. I was truly happy.<p>

The sound of my violin filled the odd silence in Kakariko. That's what I had mainly done over the last few days; practice, on the ledge overlooking the village. In the process of practicing, I had learned a lot about my instrument, and everything I learned astonished me.

"I figured I would find you here."

I looked up, not at all surprised to find Link climbing up the ladder next to the windmill. He was dressed quite casually, wearing a olive green sweater, silk pants, and a black scarf. I was wearing clothes just as warm: winter was slowly creeping up on Hyrule, it's frosty breath freezing everything in the mornings and turning leaves various shades of orange and red.

"Well, where else would you have found me?" I asked, lowering my violin and smiling at him.

Things were warmer between us now. It had been since I had told him I remembered him apologizing to me, not realizing what he had been apologizing for until I was being held captive. Why it had taken me so long to realize he was apologizing for our fight was a mystery to me. After that, the fight had seemed petty, and it was as if it had never happened.

"So, what're you doing up here?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

Link smiled and shrugged. "Practicing?"

I nodded and held up my violin. "Want to see something cool?"

"Sure..."

I smiled, closed my eyes, and held the violin in my hands, concentrating with all my might on it. As I did, I pictured a completely different instrument, similar to the violin but longer, and without the need for a bow. As I pictured it, I slowly felt the violin in my hand expanding, until it was so large that I had to use both hands to hold it up.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Link's stunned face, staring at the violin in my hands that was no longer a violin.

"W - what the...?"

"It's a guitar!" I said, placing my hands in the correct places on the instrument, one around the fretboard and the other hovering over the strings on the soundboard. I placed my fingers carefully on the fretboard and used my long nails to strum down on the strings. The note rang out around us, long and sensual.

Link's mouth was hanging wide open when I looked back at him. "How did you...?"

"Well, apparently my violin can turn into whatever stringed instrument I want it to. Watch!"

I concentrated again, picturing an instrument that would me more recognizable to Link. When I opened my eyes, I was holding a delicate harp.

"See?"

Link closed his mouth. "So, can you turn it into an Ocarina?"

I shook my head, willing my instrument to turn back into its true shape. "No. It has to be something stringed."

"Whoa! Really! I've never seen anything like that before!"

I laughed. "It was made by the combined power of my sisters! Of course it's special!"

"Can I see more?"

I smiled and nodded.

We spent the next hour or so, me turning the violin into all the different instruments I could think of: a lyre, cello, lute...even a banjo. We laughed the entire time.

The sun finally started to set and I sighed, letting the violin take on its true shape. I then looked over at Link and lightly kissed him on the cheek.

"You tired? You look like you are."

Link's yawned answered better than he could. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, before he finally nodded and stood. "So, when are you going to head back?"

I shrugged, placing the violin back under my chin. "Soon."

"Okay, good, 'cause we should head out in the morning."

I stopped, the bow hovering just inches above the strings. "Really? We're actually _leaving_?"

Link rolled his eyes playfully and nodded. He then turned around, heading back down the ladder. "See you soon, my love."

"Okay, I'll see you soon..."

* * *

><p>The next morning, our stuff was packed, horses ready to go, and Midnight's anxiety mirrored my own. I was more than ready to get out of Kakariko, a village that had become a prison for me the last week. Actually, as we galloped away toward the west, I realized that Kakariko had been my prison for seven years, and even now it hadn't changed... It was just a prison...<p>

As we rode, I peeked back at my violin, hidden in a case made for it by Link, strapped to Midnight's back. It was extremely important that I kept it safe, kept it with us. My sisters had told me that I needed to learn and memorize the song Sheik was going to teach Link next. With it, I would be able to create a spell that would lock up the Spirit Temple if anything ever needed to be hidden there...

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. None of this made sense. The fact that I was the youngest sister - and a _princess_ no less - of the three goddesses blew my mind out of the water! And the fact that they also had plans and goals for the years to come was just too much to deal with sometimes. Like how I needed to learn the song so I could lock up something that was sacred and needed to stay away from all evil influences... But yet they wouldn't tell me directly just what it was, or what was to happen. I wasn't _worthy_ of that, since I had lived as a human for so long. My powers were _diluted_ because of my lifestyle...

I huffed. It's not like I had had a choice. It's not like they _volunteered_ to tell me who I was or anything... What else was I supposed to have done?

"What's wrong?" Link asked, after a few minutes of my inner monologue.

I sighed. "Just thinking about everything."

"What's 'everything?'"

I shrugged, squeezing my legs to tell Midnight to slow. "Well, everything, I guess. Like, who I am..."

We were quiet for what seemed a long time, but neither of us commanded the horses to pick the pace back up. They just kept going at a slow, gentle trot.

"What's it like?" He eventually asked.

"What's _what_ like?"

"Being a goddess."

I started. "I - I don't know. It doesn't feel any...different. I mean, I still feel like...me."

"So there's no difference at all?"

I shrugged. "Not really. The only difference is that I keep hearing...voices."

Link smirked. "Hearing voices isn't a good sign, you know. Even for a goddess."

I huffed, gently kicking out with my foot so that it connected with the back of his thigh. "I'm serious." Link chuckled. "It's like there are people constantly talking to me, but not in that...psychotic way or anything."

"What are they saying?"

I laughed. "The same thing over and over: 'Learn the song.'"

"Really? Nothing else?"

I shrugged again. "Not really. There's some whispering, too, but I can't tell what they're saying."

Link frowned. "How annoying."

I moaned. "You really have no idea..."

It was about a twelve hour ride, with the horses running as fast as they could. Finally, the air started to thicken from heat, even through the winter chill. The grass faded, slowly turning into red earth that crunched under the hooves of the horses. Dust gathered behind us, slowly clouding up until Hyrule was completely blocked from view.

I had never ventured this far into the desert, even in all the hundreds of years I had lived. Heat...it wasn't my thing. And the desert was all about heat, even during the dead of winter. Even now it was starting to bite my skin, sweat slowly beading on my forehead and down my back.

I stripped off my coat and pants, immensely glad that I had worn the thinnest dress I owned underneath, so thin that my underwear was slightly visible through it in the sunlight. My shoes were thin as well, much like the shoes I had worn so many years ago that had broken through on the way up Death Mountain. Thin enough to keep my feet cool but thick enough to keep the sand from burning my skin...

I was _not_ looking forward to this...

"Um..."

I looked over at Link to see him looking at me in quite a strange way. "What?"

"You sure you should be wearing that?"

I started and looked down, well aware that in the dark my dress was far from see-through...and huffed. Of course, I was wearing a matching set of patterned underwear, darker than the white dress.

I hadn't thought about that, apparently...

"I'll be fine... And it's not like you haven't seen me naked before anyways..."

"That's...not what I'm worried about..."

I laughed. "You don't have to worry about any other men looking at me. No need to get jealous."

He huffed. "What do you mean?"

I just raised my eyebrows at him. Gerudo Valley was a place _ruled_ by women. There probably wouldn't be a man within a hundred-mile radius to see me in this thin dress...aside from Link.

We finally reached the bridge, which made the large gap in the canyon ahead crossable. Of course, once we got close, we realized that the bridge was broken.

"What're we going to do?" Link asked.

I smiled, turning around and running back a good ways. Link followed.

"We're going to jump," I finally said, as I signaled Midnight to run forward at full speed.

The last thing I heard before the wind deafened me was Link's voice, hollering about how crazy I was. As Midnight's feet left the ground, I smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the wait... <em>Major<em> writer's block XD**

**Hope you enjoyed :)**


	47. Chapter 47

**Hello, readers! Sorry about the wait. Homework, new job, working on novel...all hinder my process of updating. That, and the document manager (DM) has been acting up lately, not letting me into the story. It finally worked, so I'll try to post this asap XD**

**So, who else has realized that we are only _20 DAYS AWAY_ from the release of Skyward Sword? Realized this morning, and about freaked, haha O_o Can't wait (wish I could make an entire line of exclamation points, but stupid DM won't let me DX)!**

**Oh, and Crowlet... Time to turn on the Gerudo Theme :)**

**Hope it is worth the wait! Enjoy**

* * *

><p>Epona landed after the larger than normal leap, and Link almost jumped off of Epona and kissed the ground, but decided better. Maple was laughing at him, near where the small valley through the canyon continued. He didn't follow her, however. Instead, he turned to his right, realizing that there was a tent set up not far away, and the man sitting outside near the campfire looked oddly familiar...<p>

"Hey, you!" The man yelled, waving his arm up in the air.

Link turned Epona and walked closer to him, realizing as he did that this man had been in Kakariko seven years ago. He was the boss of the carpenters. "Yes?"

"Are you heading to the fortress up the road?"

"I believe so."

"Would you mind finding out what my workers are doing over there?"

Link started briefly. "What they're doing? Have they been gone long?"

"Been gone all day!"

Well, that was strange. "Alright, we'll send them your way if we see them."

"Thanks, kid!"

Link then made his way over to Maple, whose face was painted with confusion. "What was that about?" She asked.

"The workers have gone missing."

Maple then nodded. "Then let's go."

It was a good ten minutes gallop farther into the canyon before they reached what Link guessed was the fortress the man had mentioned. A large, brick wall rose up to their left, and to their right was what looked like a giant cliff, the other side of which was a mystery to Link. A little farther up, was a set of stairs.

They didn't get that far, however.

Two women suddenly dropped from the sky, both of whom were dressed in Gypsy clothing and carrying large sabers.

"Stop right there!"

And the last thing he saw was one of the women jumping into the air, the butt of her sword heading right for the top of his head.

* * *

><p>Link didn't know how much time passed. All he knew, was that his head was throbbing, he was in a small room with a window about twenty feet above his head, and that it was light out.<p>

He moaned, sitting up and rubbing his head, feeling it throb under his touch, extremely tender. At that point, Navi flew out from under his hat, which was sitting at his feet.

"Wh - what happened?" Link asked, surprised when he heard his voice shake slightly.

"They imprisoned you!" Navi exclaimed, flying over and hovering above his head, probably to look at it. He heard her gasp. "Oh, that doesn't look so good!"

"Is it that bad?" He asked, lowering his hand to see that his fingers were dotted with blood.

"Well, there _is_ a rather large gash..."

"Where's Maple?"

He heard Navi sigh. "They took her somewhere else..."

"Well, then let's find her!"

Link grabbed his hat and stood up, leaning his hand up against the wall to steady himself. His head was _really_ throbbing...

He then looked around the room, realizing that he was in what appeared to be a pit, the only ways out being a large hole in the ceiling (no wonder his head hurt...) and the small window he had noticed earlier.

Link sighed and ran his hands down his tunic, brushing off some stray dirt...and realized that he still had his pouch.

These women couldn't be _this_ stupid, right?

Sure enough, when Link reached inside, he felt that all his stuff was still inside. Well, he figured he couldn't blame them: with Maple's magic, the pouch looked and felt empty from the outside...

Link pulled out the only thing he could possibly use to get himself out: the Longshot. He then looked up at the two openings, looking for anything that he could hook it to. After about five minutes, finally saw it: the wooden frame surrounding the open window above him.

Link aimed and shot, hearing the claw hook to the wood with a loud _thud_! Link then waited, not pulling the trigger that would pull back the chain, out of fear that someone had heard. After a moment, he heard and saw nothing, so he pulled the trigger, making the chain retract as slow as it possibly could. When he reached the window, he unhooked the claw and hung onto the edge, hanging over the floor, and waited.

All was still quiet, so Link carefully looked over the edge.

He could see the fortress below the building he was in, which overlooked the entire complex. All the buildings were made of bricks the same color of the sand, making it look as if it had merely rose up from the ground instead of being built by man (or woman). All of the other buildings were small, but rose up in tiers, before becoming even with the top of the building in which Link was now escaping.

Down below were more of those women.

They were pacing back and forth, carrying either spears or sabers. All of them were wearing the same Gypsy clothing, all with dark, olive skin and flaming red hair. Because of this, he was able to easily spot Maple among them.

She was dressed in the Gypsy clothing as well: an extremely short top that left her midriff bare, with billowing pantaloons. However, her clothes were a dark, deep red that made her fair skin glow from within. Her shoes were different from the rest as well, with a simple strap that he swore just ran between her toes. Her hair was pulled up into a high ponytail with a ribbon that had a large red rupee stuck inside.

She was pacing as well, and in her hands her instrument, in the form of what she had called a "guitar." Her fingers were lightly plucking the strings but making no real sound, as if she was just thinking and strumming subconsciously.

Link carefully pulled himself up, trying not to draw attention to the corner of the fortress he was in. But someone's head turned as he stood.

For a moment, Link thought he had been caught. But then he realized that the person who had noticed him was just Maple.

Wow, she fit in so well with them. If it wasn't for the color of her skin...

She smiled at him before turning her back and speaking to the women around her. Her voice took a moment to carry to him, and even then he had to strain to hear her.

"Alright, ladies! I've finally come up with a tune! Gather round and I'll play for you!"

Slowly, the women pacing closest to her turned and walked to her, the ones farther away keeping their posts. Link then watched as Maple faced toward him, making it so that all the women had to turn their backs to him. She then raised her guitar and strummed playfully on the strings. She then signaled to two women holding maracas, waving her hand to what Link guessed was a beat. They then followed her example, shaking them along with Maple's hand. Maple then smiled and placed both hands on the guitar.

From the first note, all of the women in the courtyard instantly turned toward her, their posts forgotten, as her fingers sailed across the fretboard with grace and skill. The music that flowed from the instrument seemed as if it was the voice of the desert, as if the instrument could hear its song and was playing it for the world. Maple's legs and hips swayed effortlessly in a perfect salsa, moving as if she wasn't holding such a large instrument. The other women that now stood in front of her danced as well, either alone or with each other.

Suddenly, all Link wanted to do was dance as well, the music filling every fiber of his being. He didn't want to leave: in fact, he wanted to get closer, to dance along with them...

Maple looked at him then, and nodded toward the fortress. Suddenly, his legs stopped swaying to the music, his _need_ to listen to her play gone. And then, as guards started flowing out from the fortress, slowly gathering in front of Maple, Link understood: she was using the music to put them in a trance, so that he could freely move about the fortress so he could (possibly) save the workers who had gone missing.

Well, if he had been imprisoned, they had to have been as well...

Link hooked the Longshot to the wooden frame next to him, slowly lowering himself down to the ground as the women danced. Once his feet touched the ground, Link suddenly heard Maple's instrument change. He looked in her direction, seeing her standing on a small platform above the rest, and saw that she was playing her violin, but the music's tone hadn't changed one bit. She spun and salsa-ed, her hips moving with maybe the slightest more ease than they had before...

And then it was gone, replaced by the guitar so fast that as she strummed the first note, the last note from the violin still hung in the air.

He wanted to be amazed at her skill, but he had work to do. So, he placed his Longshot back in his pouch and ran toward the nearest door.

He emerged into a hallway, which curved around to the right. He immediately realized that he could still hear Maple's song as if she were playing it right next to him.

Link followed the hall, peeking around the corner to make sure that no guards were still there. The large room ahead was completely empty, so Link rounded the corner and looked to his left.

It was a giant jail-cell, with a rather large man standing inside of it.

"Hey, you!" The man yelled, waving his hands above his head. "Young man, over there! Look over here, inside the cell!"

Link approached him, instantly seeing that the door was locked with a giant chain.

"Are you okay?" Link asked him, through the bars.

He wiped his forehead, clearly overheated. Link didn't blame him: it was scalding hot in the desert. "I have no idea where you come from, but you must have a lot of guts to make it past all the guards around here!"

"You're one of the missing workers, aren't you?" The man nodded. "Where are the rest of you?" Link asked, looking around the room, seeing if there was another cell around, or if the rest of the workers were hiding in the back of the cell.

"All of my fellow carpenters are imprisoned somewhere in here. If you can get us out of here, we'll repay the favor somehow!"

"Don't worry, I'll get you out!"

"But be careful! There're sure to be Gerudo guards somewhere around...here..." The man paused, going quiet. Link listened as well.

He could hear something moving above his head.

"Woo! Watch out!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, the song Maple is playing is the Gerudo Theme (just in case you were wondering XD). But in place of the trumpet part, she plays the violin (which isn't hard to imagine). I always have liked that theme :)<strong>

**So, I know it's a little short, but I have a lot of reading to do before class on Thursday, so I needed to wrap this up. Hope you liked :)**


	48. Chapter 48

**Wow, sorry it's been so long O_o I have a research paper due in all of my classes so I've been focusing on them for the last couple of weeks.**

**SS is _EPIC_! Totally love it (even though I've only played for about 3 hours...). Hopefully the game doesn't effect the progress I've been making on this story, but...well, I'm sure you know what I mean :)**

**So, if you haven't gotten SS yet and are debating on whether or not to buck out the extra 20 and get the controller, _do it_! The controller rocks! My husband is even jealous, haha!**

**Oh, and yes, I realize that in the game, you can shoot the Gerudo guards with arrows to get passed them, but that just isn't realistic. I mean, is Link _really_ going to shoot some women in the chest and later come back to find they are okay? Just thought this made better sense XD**

**Hope you enjoy ;)**

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><p>Link turned, ignoring the now screaming guy behind him, and came face-to-face with a guard.<p>

"Uh, hello," he said, carefully placing his hand on his sword.

"How did you escape?" She exclaimed, grabbing a saber in each hand and holding one above her head, the other outstretched to block any incoming blows.

"I climbed out," he stated. He then frowned. Why was she in here, instead of out there in Maple's strange trance?

"You just...'climbed out?'" She then growled. "Well then, I'll just have to throw you back in!"

She lunged, Link barely managing to dodge out of the way before her blades struck him. He then spun around, pulling out his sword and swinging in one precise movement. She was quick, however, and spun out of the way, her blades coming dangerously close to him.

"Oh, you're a quick one, aren't you?" She mocked, facing him and gracefully circling him. He made sure to keep his back from being exposed to her.

"You might say I've had seven years of practice," he said, smiling as he spun his sword around in his hand. She responded by doing the same.

"Well, let's see how you do against the Gerudo!" She lunged again.

It was like some strange dance, Maple's music playing in the background the entire time. He would swing, and she would easily dodge and swipe at him in response. But he was just as quick, managing to move out of the way of her blade before it could strike. Before long, Link was exhausted but wasn't letting it show. She, clearly, had the better training, since she was showing no signs of weariness. In fact, she was smiling a little.

"Getting tired, green one?" She asked, after about ten minutes later.

"Not one bit," he lied.

"Good." She then lunged.

_I can't take much more of this_, Link thought to himself. He was drenched in sweat; his legs were shaking. His sword felt like it weighed a million pounds. And the fact that it was well over 100 degrees inside of the buildings wasn't helping much, either.

Maybe he should have worn his red tunic after all.

She lunged at him, and he barely managed to get out of the way. He even felt his tunic tug as her saber caught it. But then he saw an opening; her exposed back.

He acted quickly, spinning around and slashing with his sword. Blood sprang up from a large slash in her arm as his sword connected, and it instantly went slack.

"No!" She yelled, and then disappeared as she jumped into the air and out through a hole in the ceiling.

Link almost instantly fell to the ground, gasping for air. This was the most exhausted he ever remembered being before. The only other time he ever remembered even being _this_ close, was when he had to rush through the Shadow Temple to save Maple.

He shuddered briefly, Maple's broken body popping up in his mind. His heart sank remembering what she looked like, how she had practically died...

_Hey, she's fine, now_, he told himself. There was no reason to worry about her any longer.

He looked up, realizing that something was laying on the floor near where the guard had disappeared. He reached down and picked it up.

It was a key. Well, that just saved him some time trying to find a way to unlock the cell.

Link turned around and quietly unlocked the door. He then pushed the door until it swung inward.

The carpenter looked extremely relieved to see the cell opened.

"I'm Ichiro the carpenter," he said as Link walked into the cell.

"Nice to meet you," Link answered. "But, I have a quick question?" Ichiro looked at him with a raised brow. "What are you doing here inside of an all-female fortress?"

He laughed. "We were really interested in joining their all-female group, but they locked us up like this just because we're men!"

Well, that answered his question about why they had locked him up, yet let Maple go free. "Interesting."

"We don't care about the Gerudo anymore! They're so rude!"

"How many of you were captured?"

"Three of my fellows have also been captured," he answered, already walking toward the door as if extremely anxious to leave, "so please help them escape, too!"

"Be careful," Link said as the man walked outside of the cell and toward the nearest exit, "the Gerudo are still out there! Just stay out of their sight and you should be fine."

Ichiro nodded at him and then left.

Link sighed and leaned back against the wall. He knew that he should leave, in case the guard came back and tried to lock him in, but he wasn't ready to leave quite yet.

"Link," Navi said as she flew from his hat, "there are still three carpenters left here! We should get moving!"

"Yeah, I know." Link stood up straight and stretched his shoulders. He then walked out of the cell and out through a different hallway.

He was back outside, but in what looked like a small courtyard off to the side of where all the Gerudo were still dancing. He could see Maple, playing the guitar and dancing as well, but she looked tired.

He would have to hurry.

He turned to his left, quickly running through a doorway. He walked up a small slope, and then turned to his right. He quickly ran down the hall, turning with it as it curved to the left.

He emerged into a large kitchen, a staircase on either side of the room. He ran up the one closest to him, following it as it curved around to the left. He then emerged back outside, but was now up on the second floor. He turned, going through another doorway on his left.

He was in a room with another cell.

"Hey! Over here!"

Link didn't even get that far.

Almost instantly, the guard that had attacked him before dropped to the floor. Link groaned, pulling out his sword and wishing that she would just leave him alone.

They fought, and the one thing he noticed, quite quickly, was that she actually appeared tired. Her movements were slower than they had been before, her sabers seemed as if they were heavier. All of that would have been good news...if it wasn't for the fact that he was just as exhausted.

Link forced himself to move quickly, ignore his fatigue. He knew that Maple wouldn't be able to keep the other guards under her spell much longer, and he couldn't waste time fighting this guard.

He swung, slashed, spun, blocking her blows as she blocked his. He finally, much sooner than he expected, saw an opening and slashed open her other arm.

"Not again!" She bellowed, before jumping into the air and disappearing much like she had before.

Link took a moment to gather his breath before bending down and grabbing the key that had fallen from her pocket during the fight. He then opened the cell and walked over to the man now waving his arms above his head.

"You're a cute kid!" He said, which caused Link to step back from the man. "Thank you for coming to save me! I'm Jiro, the carpenter."

"You okay?" Link asked.

Jiro nodded, and then shivered. "These women are so scary! I'd rather work as a carpenter than join them! I can't wait to say good-bye to this place!" He then turned around and ran out of the cell without looking back at Link once.

Link frowned. _What a strange man_, he thought to himself. A little...feminine; lazy as well.

Well, he wasn't Link's problem anymore.

Link then walked out of the room through the door he had come through. He went back to the kitchen, walking up the other set of stairs.

He was back outside. He dropped down, onto the roof below, and walked through the doorway in front of him.

He followed the hallway, until he emerged into a room with another cell.

The man inside didn't even get to speak. Almost the exact moment that Link emerged into the room, the guard dropped down, both arms freshly bandaged.

_Not again..._

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><p><strong>So, after playing SS for awhile, I realized that this is the only LoZ game that I don't absolutely hate a LinkXZelda pairing. I don't <em>like<em> it, per-say, but I don't hate it. I think it's mainly because they've been friends their entire lives, so Zelda isn't just some princess that Link's barely met or anything. **

**Have you played it yet? How do you feel about the Zelink thing?**

**And Odnet... Sorry, didn't get it DX**

**Oh, hope you enjoyed! Have a great Thanksgiving!**


	49. Chapter 49

**HAPPY NEW YEAR! Yeah, I know it's a little late, but holy cow! 2012? Geesh, 2011 went by really fast! The only downside is that the world is going to end in December of this year... HA! Yeah right! If life as we know it ends on earth, it's not going to be something we're ready for. It'll be a surprise ;)**

**All right, I'll get on with it...**

**Enjoy :)**

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><p>I had no idea how much time passed since Link had jumped down from the tower. All I knew was that the sun had moved across the sky, and my fingers were burning.<p>

I was doing my best; keeping the women busy while Link saved the carpenters, and trying to keep the pain in my fingers to a minimum. But I was having a bit of an issue, now that much time had passed.

I was running out of power.

This was definitely something I hadn't suffered from for many years; I had assumed for a long time now that the limits of my powers were endless in my adult body. But my body was weakening, my powers going along with it. The pain in my fingers was slowly growing, escalating to a point that I thought I could no longer take it. I didn't risk looking down at them; I just continued to play the strange tune that my instrument had started humming to me the moment I had set foot in the desert.

I saw movement; a brief streak of green running across the rooftop of one of the buildings.

_Link_.

That was it; the only amount of distraction that my body needed to shut down. I literally _felt_ the energy rushing out of my body as my limit was reached. The powers I had been using to keep the spell on the women, and keep the pain in my fingers away, fell. The pain rushed to me, causing me to actually cry out and fall to my knees, my violin stirring up dust as it hit the ground.

_Oh goddess__, the pain__!_ I thought, realizing only then that my fingers were steadily oozing blood. I finally looked down and saw that each of the fingers I had used to play were cut deep into the pads.

That's what I get I guess, for playing so intensely without calluses built up.

I sighed, looking up as the women around me started shaking their heads as if coming out of a daze. They then slowly started making their way back to their posts, picking up their weapons that had been carelessly thrown to the ground.

_Hope you've saved all the carpenters, Link. I can't help you anymore._

I sighed again, leaning back so that I was sitting on the ground, being careful not to jostle my hands too much. I then closed my eyes and started singing under my breath.

Almost immediately I felt the calm come over me that the song almost always gave me. No doubt it was the same calm that Link had claimed he felt when we were children. With the calm came the slow trickle through my body; my powers creeping back into my being. I sighed in relief as I felt the skin on my fingers stitch back together, taking away the throbbing. Once they were healed, I wiped away the blood still covering them in the sand underneath me. I then grabbed my violin and carefully brushed it off, putting it away only after I was sure it was clean.

I didn't wait much longer before I saw Link again; although this time he walked right in front of one of the patrolling women. I jumped up from the ground when the woman approached him with her spear pointed directly at his chest. He didn't flinch, however. Instead, he pulled out a piece of paper and flashed it at her. A few tense moments passed as she inspected it. She then smiled and nodded to him, turning around and going back to her rounds.

He was all smiles as he approached me, but despite that he looked more exhausted than I felt.

"You okay?" He asked as he stopped in front of me, his eyes darting to my still-pink-stained fingers.

I sighed, instantly wrapping my arms around him, taking in the smell of dirt and sweat lingering on him. "I am now."

I felt him chuckle. "Has anyone mentioned how good you look in that outfit?"

I rolled my eyes and pushed him away. "Why don't you tell me what I missed? Like what you did to get the guard to ignore you?"

Link smiled and held out the paper he had shown the guard a few moments earlier. "Apparently, the leader of the Gerudo was really impressed with my skill; breaking out of jail and then proceeding to defeat her best guards to free the carpenters. Gave me free rein of the fortress. Told me I am 'one of them.'"

According to the note, we were also allowed access to the deeper reaches of the desert, where the Spirit Temple was hidden.

"The leader, huh?"

"Well, more like the temporary leader. Apparently, their _actual_ leader, Nabooru, stays in the Spirit Temple out on the other side of the desert."

I frowned. "Like, actually _stays_ out there?"

"Yeah. Apparently she's second only to Ganondorf himself. The Gerudo I ran into was put in charge of this fortress by Naroobu, and Naroobu watches over the Temple."

I gave the paper back to him. "So, are we heading over there? Or what?"

Link smiled, but it quickly fell. "Wait... Where's our horses?"

I nodded toward the back of the fortress. "They have both of them back there, where their stables are. We can leave them here; they'll take good care of them while we're gone."

"But, can't we bring them with us?"

I shook my head. "I heard them talking about the desert out there while you were still imprisoned; it's a strange place that few can cross. We shouldn't risk bringing them along in case we get lost."

"'Lost?' It's just a desert, right? Just a straight shot to the Temple." He motioned with his hand, moving it in front of my face like a bug zooming through the air.

I shook my head again. "Not that simple. You'll see."

We walked to the gate on the far side of the fortress. Next to it was a tall guard tower, on top of which was a Gerudo. Link quickly climbed to the top and, about five minutes later, he appeared, the gate rising so we could get through.

"You were right; crossing the desert won't be that simple. We have to pass through two trials before we'll make it to the Temple."

"What trials?"

"We have to cross what she called a 'river of sand.' Apparently we can't walk on it and have to find a way to cross it."

I smiled. _I_ could take care of that for both of us quite easily. My powers had been slowly trickling back as we had walked, and I had enough to fly us across whatever we needed.

"Easy enough. What's the second trial?"

"We have to follow a guide who's unseen without the Lens of Truth." Link then pulled out the strange lens; purple with an odd red marking in the middle of the glass, giving it the appearance of a snake's eye. "It will then guide us to the Temple."

I nodded. "Let's go, then."

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><p>It took about fifteen minutes of walking before the sandstorm started to brew. It didn't take long after that to see that there was, indeed, what looked like a "river of sand." The sand was moving; flowing as if it actually had a current. We approached it cautiously, stopping just before our feet reached where the sand flowed.<p>

"Grab my hand," I asked, holding it out to Link. He nodded and I carefully leaned down, touching my finger gently on the surface of the moving sand.

It was an odd feeling, like placing my hand in extremely murky water. However, the current was very strong, and almost immediately I felt my hand being pulled into the sand. Link stabilized me, pulling me back when my hand jerked forward into the sand.

"Definitely can't walk on that," I said, shaking the sand off of my hand.

"She said so." He then pulled out his Longshot, aiming it at some boxes stacked on top of each other on the other side of the river. He then let it fly, and almost immediately we were yanked across the gap, landing safely on (well, somewhat) solid sand.

"Now what?" I asked after we straightened ourselves.

Link pointed toward a large wooden pole that I could barely make out through the storm, a large red flag flying on top. "We follow their flags."

I grabbed his hand and we set off. It was difficult, the flagpoles extremely hard to see through the flying sand. I had to stop myself from rubbing my eyes, knowing it would do more damage with the amount of sand currently flying into them.

We ran through the oddly cool desert for what seemed forever, the flagpoles constantly on the edge of our vision. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, I saw two flagpoles set up next to each other, not much distance between them.

On the other side of them we noticed a circle of the flagpoles, surrounding what looked to be a small stone building. We ran for the building, not hesitating to climb down the ladder that led underneath.

It was just a small room, with two unlit torches on top of a small raised platform. The same thought must have crossed Link's mind when he saw the small space, because he started digging in his pouch and I saw the corner of his bed roll poke out from it: a perfect shelter to rest from the storm for a couple of hours.

I lit the two torches, relieved as the warmth that surrounded us was just the right temperature. We then set out our bed rolls and curled up in them, both of us relieved to get some much needed rest.

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><p><strong>Sorry it took so long to update this, you guys. Skyward Sword definitely was a distraction, though in a good way XD. Hope you liked the chappy, and I'll try to go back to updating <em>every<em> _three_ _seconds_ like I did before ;) Ha, not literally**

**Oh, and I completely forgot! Congrats, Odnet, for the 50 reviews! I remember when I reached 50... Ah, such a good day :) Next is the big 100!**


	50. Chapter 50

**Hello readers! Yes, I know that it's been a couple of months, but what can I say? I've got a bit of writer's block (which is weird because this story has technically already been written)... That and I've been thinking a lot about ideas I have for another story so it's been hard to concentrate on this one...**

**Thanks for the awesome reviews you guys! I love you all and I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>She was awake long before he was. He could tell by the alertness in her posture. He awoke to the sound of her violin, playing that ever-familiar tune, the one that seemed to affect her as much as it did him. The one he had heard her singing the night they spent outside the castle courtyard.<p>

He had no idea how long he laid there and listened to her play. It was soothing, relaxing. It took his mind away from the fact that he was in the middle of trying to save the world.

"You don't have to just sit there, you know," she finally said, slightly startling him.

The suddenness of it reminded him that Hyrule _still_ needed saving, and of the fact that she _was _a goddess. She hadn't even been facing him, and he hadn't stirred and had kept his breathing even. No normal person would have known he had been listening.

"Is that the song you were suppose to learn?" He eventually asked.

"No."

"Then why are you playing it?"

She paused for a few moments, the last note ringing out through the dark room. "I just feel as if...it's _suppose_ to be played, you know?"

"What do you mean 'suppose to'?"

She sighed, setting the violin back in the case he had made for it. "It's a song that doesn't seem complete unless it has an instrument to play it. The song has no words; it's just a melody. In my heart, I know it's suppose to be played."

Link thought about this for a moment. Even though he had always known the song as one to be sung, he couldn't deny that it had a special ring to it as it was strummed across the strings.

"Do you think my life will ever be the same?" She suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

"Will my life change, from here on out?"

He was slightly startled by this question. Of course her life would change. She was a goddess now, and even if others didn't quite know yet, they would eventually find out. From what she had been saying to him earlier, her sisters had plans for her and everything...

"Probably," he admitted.

"Probably as in it will stay the same, or it will change?"

"It will change."

The look in her eyes made him suddenly sad. She never had asked for any of this. She was just a girl who ended up being more than that. Kinda like how he had been a normal Kokiri (at least he had thought) and then found out that he was the famed Hero of Time...

Although finding out you're a deity is a lot worse then finding out you're a hero...

"You okay?" He asked. If he thought that _he_ was stressed...

She sighed. "As okay as possible, given the circumstances..."

He frowned. "Are you okay, though?"

She was quiet, but he could feel the tension in her building, as well as see it. She finally turned toward him, her cheeks red. "No, I'm not! I never asked for any of this! I don't want to be some unknown..._goddess princess_!" She half yelled, her fists tightening into balls. "Why me, huh? Why did they wait until _now_ to let me know? Did they think they were too _good_ to contact me and say 'hey, you're a goddess and our princess?' They thought it better for me to just find out like _this_? By getting kidnapped and essentially _killed_?" Link flinched, the memory of her broken and lifeless body in his arms flashing into his mind. "Why did my sisters not care? And why me? What's so special about me? WHY ME?" She screamed.

And then she started crying.

The only thing he could really do was comfort her. He held her, rocked her as if she was just a small babe. He shushed her and ran his fingers through her hair, but not once did he tell her it would be okay. He would never know if everything would be okay.

After awhile her crying had calmed, her breathing mostly even except for the shuttering intakes of breath she would take every few moments. She then looked up at him, her eyes still bright from the tears, and half smiled.

"You're my hero, you know that?" She asked.

Link smiled. "And I always will be."

"You don't think it's weird? Me being who I am?"

He frowned. "Of course not. I love you, no matter who you are, who you will be. The fact that you're a goddess doesn't change that."

Maple looked up at him for a long moment, her eyes still bright. She then leaned over and her lips met his, sweet as ever. "I love you, too."

Navi fluttered out from under Link's hat then and gave a loud yawn. "I need some fresh air," she said mid-yawn. She then flew up and out of the hole above.

"'Fresh air?'" Link wondered. "The air out there isn't fresh."

Maple didn't say anything, and instead curled up in his arms, sighing deeply. She buried her face in his shoulder, and even through the fabric of his tunic he could feel her lips gently caressing his skin.

After a few moments, he groaned in frustration.

"What's wrong?" Maple asked.

"You're driving me crazy, that's what."

She stared at him for a long moment before laughing. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

She stuck out her tongue. "Yes I - "

She didn't continue, her words cut off by his kiss.

He held her close, close enough that he could feel her heart beat slowly increasing against his chest. She pulled away from him, for just a moment, and looked up at him, her eyes bright in a different way now. But she pulled him back, her fingers disappearing into the hair under his hat.

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><p><strong>Okay kiddies, this section is rated M, just to let you know...<strong>

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><p>His hat fell to the ground and it was like a spark lit from inside him. His hands slipped around her, feeling her bare back underneath his fingertips. She sighed and pulled herself even closer. Her hands found the bottom of his tunic and they broke apart for only a moment as she pulled it up and over his head.<p>

The atmosphere between them was different this time. It was as if both of them thought that this was their last time, as if they would both die by nightfall the next day. In a way Link believed it. This was the last part of their journey. Once this sage was awoken, they would be face-to-face with Ganondorf, and the chances of both of them surviving...

They were already covered in a small layer of sweat from the heat by the time their clothes were discarded. They were carelessly thrown to the floor and they clumsily made their way to the bed rolls still laid out.

There was no confusion on his part this time. He entered with ease, and their bedding did little to protect them from the sand as they rolled across the floor. His back burned as her nails dug into his skin, and he wasn't completely sure that the trickling he felt run down his sides was from the sweat.

She held tight to him, moaning as her legs tightened around his waist. She clenched him, guiding him before they rolled.

Time didn't exist for either of them at that moment. There was no world to save, she wasn't a goddess... Only they existed, together as one.

There was no laughter between them. The only sounds heard were the gentle moanings escaping from each of them and the howling of the wind above.

It didn't last as long as the first time, but it was just as good, if not better. Maple let out one last cry, which melted in with his own, and the two of them went still, breathing heavily.

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><p><strong>Ok, back to normal rating :)<strong>

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><p>They laid there, still entwined, their bodies glowing from the torches in the room. Now that his mind was no longer preoccupied, the grit of the sand against his skin began to bug him, but he still laid there, his arms around her. He could also tell that there was no regret for Maple this time, no feeling of him being too young. He knew mainly because she was lightly running her fingers up and down his arm, playing with it.<p>

"So that's why Navi left, huh?"

Maple giggled. "Intuitive little fairy."

There was silence.

"You will always be mine," she said, her voice full of happiness. "And I will always be yours."

He kissed her forehead. "Always and forever?"

She smiled as she sat up and started to dress. "Even in the afterlife."

Link frowned. "Really?"

Maple reached up and put her hair back up in its pony. "Of course! Do you think the gods would separate their princess and her lover? Especially considering that he's the Hero of Time? We will be together for all eternity."

He thought about that for a long moment. His heart soared at the thought that he was to be with her for the rest of his existance. He was the lover of, not only a princess, but a beautiful and exotic goddess. _He_ of all people! The Kokiri shunned by his fellow people. The outcast. He would forever go down in history as the lover of a goddess who saved (or hopefully will save) Hyrule!

If only Mido were there...

"You know, we should probably get going," Maple said, breaking his train of thought. Link nodded and quickly brushed the sand off of his skin before dressing.

Navi was waiting for them, on top of the building they had been in. She was looking at something off in the distance, and the way Maple's eyes flashed toward whatever Navi was staring at made him feel as if he was the only one who couldn't see it.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"A poe," Maple answered.

"What's it doing?"

"Just watching us."

"It's been up here for awhile," Navi said, flying over to them. "And it hasn't moved since it appeared."

"Like it's waiting for us?" Link suggested.

"Yes."

"Then what does it want?"

Navi and Maple went quiet and looked over in the direction it was in. Maple then nodded. "It wants us to follow it."

Link started. "How can you tell that?"

Maple waved her arm in a gesture that clearly said "come on" and took off. Link jumped after her, fumbling in his pack for his Lens so he wouldn't be left out any longer.

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><p><strong>Alright, there we go! Chapter 50! I hope I did okay on the "scene" above. I always get nervous about writing love scenes O_o<strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Have a good spring break!**

**PS: Ignore any spelling or grammer mistakes... My iPad's spell check acts a little funky on this site...**


	51. Chapter 51

**YAY! Long awaited update! I know, it's been forever... I've just been busy with life and new games, etcetera... My husband and I even adopted two FIV+ cats XD They are a major contribution to my distraction lately ;) We were actually supposed to adopt only one, but we kinda couldn't decide which one to get, so we got both O_o**

**So, it's been forever since I've written on this story, so forgive me if the style is different or anything. Just got done re-reading this entire story to get back in the "flow," but we'll see.**

**Here it is, finally!**

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><p><em>Huh, it really is a Poe<em>, Link couldn't help but think when he finally looked through the Lens. It was facing them, holding a giant lantern as it floated around in a strange pattern. The light from the lantern was really the only thing that guided him; he could barely see Maple running in front of him because of how bad the storm had gotten.

They ran in what seemed a large circle, running between various poles. Finally, off in the distance, he spotted what he guessed was the temple. The closer they got, the calmer the storm became. Eventually, the Poe disappeared altogether, and straight in front of them was something that literally made him stop in his tracks.

The storm was completely gone now, and before him was a large clearing. In the very center was the largest stone statue that he had ever seen. It was in the shape of a beautiful woman from the waist up, her arms outstretched before her. Where her legs were supposed to be was the opening to what he guessed was the temple.

"The Desert Colossus," Maple muttered.

"Wait, this isn't the temple?"

Maple raised an eyebrow at him. "Yes, it is. The statue is known as the Desert Colossus, though." Link nodded, feeling a little stupid at his comment. "Now let's go inside and get out of this heat."

He had to admit that the only upside of the storm had been that the sun had been hidden. Now it was glaring down at them freely, and he was quickly starting to overheat.

Link followed her as she ran forward, towards the Colossus. Luckily there were no enemies to hinder their process: perhaps they thought it too hot out as well?

He was surprised to find it comfortably cool inside of the statue. The room was fairly large, with a staircase directly in front of them. On either side of the staircase were statues of cobras, each with an inscription below their heads.

"What do they say?" He asked.

Maple walked to the one on their left, and read aloud, "'If you want to proceed to the past, you should return here with the pure heart of a child.'" She then ran to the other statue. "'If you want to travel to the future, you should return here with the power of silver from the past.'" She then looked at him. "What does that mean?"

"I think I have an idea." Link ran up the stairs. At the top he came to rest on an elaborate red rug, dirty from the amount of sand that had blown inside. Two statues stood at the top, and he immediately recognized them as the ones that had hurt Maple so bad as a child. He kept clear of them and walked to the right.

A giant silver block stood in his way. Try as he might he couldn't get it to move forwards or backwards. Even Maple's magic did nothing. He ran to the other side of the room and found a small crevice in the wall, too small for him or Maple to crawl through.

"I knew it," he muttered.

"Knew what?"

"I have to go back in time and get the 'power of silver' that the statue mentioned."

Maple gave him a strange look. "What do you mean 'you?' What about me?"

"You're already in the past, waiting for me, remember? So you'll just have to wait for me to come back."

The sadness in her eyes clearly told him that she would rather die than be separated from him, but she clearly understood.

They walked back outside, the sun greeting them with too much enthusiasm. But, as they walked out, Maple suddenly stiffened at his side. He followed her gaze, and for a moment he caught a glimpse of a figure crouching on the top of the stone archway in front of them. Then, quite suddenly, Sheik appeared before them.

"Past, present, future..." He said slowly, as he walked toward them. "The Master Sword is a ship with which you can sail upstream and downstream through time's river... The port for that ship is in the Temple of Time... To restore the Desert Colossus and enter the Spirit Temple, you must travel back through time's flow... Listen to this Requiem of Spirit... This melody will lead a child back to the desert."

When he pulled out his harp, and Link grabbed his ocarina, Link was briefly surprised to see Maple pull out her violin. But, then he remembered that she had a task of her own; this was the song that she needed to learn...

Sheik played first, introducing them to the melody. Then Link followed, along with Maple. As they played, however, Maple's version extended, making the song more beautiful than he could have imagined. She played in complete harmony with Sheik's harp and Link's ocarina, and soon the clearing was full of the most beautiful song he had heard thus far.

As they ended, Maple's violin played out two last notes that rang throughout the clearing. As the notes faded, Link looked up at Sheik to discover that he was backing away from them.

"Wait! I need to talk to - "

A wall of sand suddenly separated them from him, and when it cleared, he was gone.

Link sighed, frustrated. He just _knew_ deep down that Sheik knew where the princess was; he seemed to know a lot about everything. Yet the guy wouldn't stand still for more than a few minutes before disappearing!

But that was brushed out of his mind when he saw Maple crossing the clearing, heading off to his right. He followed her, until she stopped next to a hole in the sand, about ten feet deep.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

She smiled at him over her shoulder. "Giving us a quick swim break."

He knew his face must have been a large question mark.

When Maple pulled out her violin and started playing a tune that he recognized, he smiled and played along with her.

For five minutes they played as the rain poured down around them. They stood on either side of the large hole, watching each other, moving around the circle at the same, slow pace. They continued their strange dance around the edge of the hole until the water was lapping at their feet. They both stopped playing at the same time and instantly dropped everything, stripping down to their underwear. They both dove in head-first.

Link's body breaking through the water was the most glorious feeling in the world (well, a close second, anyways). The heat pounding down onto his back no longer mattered as the water washed away his fatigue and sweat. It felt wonderful, and the look on Maple's face told him she felt the same relief.

"You are a genius," he said as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back.

Maple laughed. "I know I am."

Link watched as she pushed herself back, floating again on her back like she had in the forest. "Are you ever going to teach me how to do that?" He asked.

She easily pushed herself upright again and swam to him. "Sure. I can do that right now. It's not that hard to learn."

"O - KAY!" He choked as she pushed his upper body down, her other hand appearing at his waistline and pushing him up. After choking on the water that had rushed over his head, he found himself floating, her hands supporting him.

"Tighten your stomach and push your tailbone up," she instructed. "Your head and shoulders should automatically float."

It was a very strange feeling, floating on his back, looking up into the blaring sun. Maple's face was there, however, smiling down at him.

"See? It's not that hard," she said.

That's when he realized that she wasn't supporting him any longer.

"I - I'm doing it!" He exclaimed. But the excitement distracted him, and soon he found his lower body falling down into the water. "Well, I _was_ doing it, anyways..."

"You'll get it sooner or later," Maple said, still smiling. "Now we should... Well, you should get going."

Link swam to the edge, sitting down at the edge of the slope. "You're not coming with me to the Temple of Time at least?"

Maple shook her head and threw herself onto her back again. "No, I'll wait here, I think."

For some reason, Link's heart sank slightly. Even though he knew he'd be back soon, he still didn't want to leave her. "You sure?"

She nodded. "Yes."

Link climbed out of the pool and quickly dressed. The sun was hot enough that he had no need to dry off: he was practially dry by the time he was done gearing up.

As Link played the Prelude of Light and started to feel himself fade away, he could have sworn that he heard Maple's voice, humming her special tune to herself.

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><p><strong>Yeah, it's a little short, but I couldn't really drag this chapter on any longer.<strong>

**So, I just realized that this story has been on this site for (barely) over a year! I just want to say thank you so much for sticking with this story for so long, and I really hope that you guys stick with it until the end!**


	52. Chapter 52

**Hey, another one already! I must be making my way into a Zelda mood :)**

**So, I forgot to mention a huge thanks to the reviewers and new readers! Thank you so much for your support, new or old! And I hereby give any reader permission to give my story(ies) a shout-out if they ever feel like it! I would be extremely honored!**

_**Child**_

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><p>The sadness overwhelmed me, just as the light started to fade. But then I realized that he was <em>still there<em>! What the hell was going on now?

Link formed in the middle of the light, looking exactly as he had moments ago. But I could tell that some time must have passed for him, because there was yet more knowledge in his eyes.

"You okay?" He asked, cupping his hands around one of mine, stopping me from rubbing away the tears that had started to flow.

"I guess I am... What's going on now?"

"There's just some more work that I have to do. Will you come with me?"

I sighed, too exhausted to keep myself upright any longer: I had just gone for too long without sleep. "Not right now..."

He opened his mouth to protest, but something about my voice must have sounded off.

"That's right... You haven't slept in awhile..."

"No, I haven't."

Link smiled. "Okay. We'll go rest for the night, alright?"

I smiled back, grateful. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he would rather do whatever it was he had to do. I guess I would have to wait a few years to find out just how much of a sacrifice it was for him to wait.

Link pulled out his ocarina and played that tune he had played just a few hours before. As the light surrounded him, he grabbed my hand, and I felt relief as my feet left the ground.

* * *

><p>When my feet touched ground again, moments later, we were back in Kakariko, above the graveyard. Link jumped down the cliff and then turned as I jumped as well, easily catching me. He then took my hand, stroking it with his thumb as we made our way back to Daisy's.<p>

We didn't even eat, even though Daisy offered us some soup. We just took our usual bunk, me climbing under the covers with Link next to me on top of them. He must have been more exhausted then he let on, though, because he was asleep much sooner than I.

I watched him sleeping for what seemed a long time. All I could do was stare at the face that was no different than it was a couple of days ago, yet in no way the same. I could still picture the fear etched on his face as he stepped out into Hyrule for the first time. This face held no trace of that fear; it was instead full of determination and hope...

Could I really love this boy in the future? I tried to imagine in my mind just what he would be like, what he would look like...

My imagination placed that image in my dream. An older Link was standing before me, smiling. Princess Zelda was there as well, playing my song on a delicate golden harp. All three of us were dancing and singing together...laughing... Was this our future in a peaceful Hyrule?

We stopped at the sound of giant wings behind me, but the joy on our faces never wavered.

The next thing I remember was sitting up in bed, light streaming through the window. Link sat up at the same time, his brow drenched in sweat, fear hidden behind his wiser eyes.

His dream hadn't been as peaceful as mine, apparently.

I watched as Link walked across the room and splashed his face.

"Oh, you two are awake! Would you care for some breakfast?"

I didn't answer right away. I instead looked over at Link, silently asking if that was okay. He nodded.

"Sure."

We ate fairly quickly. I was feeling pretty good by the time we were done. Link, however, looked a little pale and as if he had a lot of things on his mind.

"You okay?" I asked as we walked toward Hyrule Field. Link didn't think it was a good idea to transport in the middle of town.

"Yeah, just had a bad dream."

"What about?"

"I...I don't know, really."

"Can you try to explain?"

Link stopped at the bottom of the stairs and pulled out his ocarina. He played a new tune this time, one I hadn't heard before.

Before I opened my eyes, I thought we were back in Dodongo Cavern, because of the heat. But when I opened my eyes I realized we were in the middle of a vast desert, a giant colossus standing before us.

"Whoa."

Link was quiet for a long moment as he let me get a good look around. Just when I was about to express my awe at this location, he gave me a look that disturbed me slightly.

"Do you think I have prophetic dreams?" He asked.

I hesitated. "Well...maybe. Why?"

I followed him as he started to walk toward the entrance inside of the great statue.

"Just...my dream was really...strange. And it was so _real_."

"What happened in it?"

He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It was about you. And... I really hope they weren't prophetic..."

"Why not? Was it bad?"

"It was...the same thing twice. First you were standing in an open clearing, alone, watching a group of nomads. You were...crying. Severely. You looked as if everything in your life had gone wrong. I don't think I've ever seen such sadness."

My heart sank. "Was I older?"

"Yes."

That didn't sound like the future I had seen in my dream...

"You said this happened twice?"

"Yes, but the second time..." We crossed into the threshold, but I didn't care or look around. "You were floating... Princess Zelda was with you, rubbing your back. You were crying, just like before, the same sadness... You were screaming at the sky..." He looked at me. "I don't want this dream to be real. I don't ever want to see such sadness..."

I threw a smile on my face, but something made my stomach uneasy. "It was probably just a dream. Don't worry about it."

Link smirked, a bit of his old self coming through. "Alright, I won't worry about it."

But now I was going to... What did my future intale?

I followed Link up the stairs, onto an elaborate red rug that was unbelievably dirty. The two statues at the top made my heart jump, phantom pains from the exploding statue back in Dodongo's Cavern flashing up my back.

"Who's that?" Link suddenly said.

"Who?"

He pointed to our left. There was a woman squatting low to the ground, in front of a hole in the wall. She was wearing flashy gypsy clothing, and her crimson hair hung just past her hips.

We walked up to her, Link taking the lead.

"Hello?"

She jumped and spun around, clearly cautious. Her face was very pretty, but there was a shifty look in her eyes that I couldn't ignore. I hid slightly behind Link.

"I haven't seen you around, kid... What do you want?"

"We're here to explore this temple," Link said, matter-of-fact.

"You're just a kid! The temple is no place for kids!"

"Well, I'm trying to find the Spirit Sage, who watches over this place. You know anything about this Sage?"

"A Sage? I don't know anyone like that."

Link shared a glance with me. "Well, then I guess we have nothing to do here..."

We turned around, getting ready to leave (she was blocking the only way for us to go), when we heard her sigh.

"Wait... You have nothing to do... What good timing, then! Can you do me a favor, kid?"

"What kind of favor?"

"I... Wait a second, I want to ask you first - you wouldn't happen to be one of Ganondorf's followers...would you?"

"Definitely not! We're trying to stop him!" I yelled.

She smiled. "Good. Well, let's cut to the chase. First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Nabooru of the Gerudo." Link's eyebrows raised, and I noticed a flash of recognition in his eyes. "I'm a lone wolf thief."

"You're a thief? Like Ganondorf!" I asked, suddenly knowing why I felt so odd around her.

"Don't get me wrong! Though we're both thieves, I'm completely different from Ganondorf."

"A thief is a thief! What makes you so different?" Link asked.

"With his followers, he stole from women and children, and he even killed people! A kid like you may not know this, but the Gerudo race consists only of women. Only one man is born every hundred years... Even though our laws say that lone male Gerudo must become King of the Gerudo, I'll never bow to such an evil man!"

Link nodded, seemingly satisfied. I, however, wasn't.

"By the way, what is your name, kid?"

"I'm Maple."

"Link."

"Link?" She laughed. "What kind of name is that?" I glared at her, but said nothing. "Well anyway... I want to ask you a favor..."

"Well, 'cut to the chase,' then," I muttered.

"Will you go through this tiny hole and get a treasure that's inside?"

"What kind of treasure are you looking for?" Link asked.

"The treasure is the Silver Gauntlets." Link's fists clenched. "If you equip them, you can easily push and pull very heavy things!"

"That sounds very useful," I whispered.

Apparently, she heard me. "No, no, no, kid! Don't even think about taking this treasure for yourself!"

"Why not?"

"The Silver Gauntlets won't fit a little kid like you if you try to equip them!" I glanced at Link, who had a knowing look on his face: he _would_ be able to wear them in seven years. "I want you to be a good boy and give them to me!"

"What are you planning to use them for?" Link asked, playing along.

"Ganondorf and his minions are using the Spirit Temple as a hideout. Only the Silver Gauntlets will allow me to sneak deep into the temple. Once there, I'm going to steal all the treasure inside, and mess up their plans! How about it? Will you do it?"

Link looked at me. The look on his face told me that _this_ was the reason he had come back: we had no choice.

"Yes, we'll help."

"Thanks, kid! You and I, let's give Ganondorf and his followers a big surprise, shall we? If you can successfully get the Silver Gauntlets... I'll do something great for you!"

Nabooru then stepped out of the way of the small hole and motioned for us to continue through.

"Ladies first," Link said.

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><p><strong>And... Now it's time for bed! I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter! More to come soon! I'll try to update again sooner than I have been usually!<strong>

**Have a great night (and great weekend just in case I don't get a chance to update)!**


	53. Chapter 53

**YAY! Another smashing chapter already! Now I _really_ know that I must be in a major Zelda mood...**

**So, guess what? (insert many exclamation points, since DM won't let me XD) _The Hunger Games_ movie releases in exactly 8 hours, 49 minutes, and 34...33...32... yeah, you get it... But EEEEEEEEEE! Soooo completely excited! My husband even performed his "magical act" of pulling money out of his...well, 'arse,' so we can go to the midnight release tonight! YAY!**

**...Yeah, I'll shut up now...**

**So, thanks for the new reviews (we've crossed the 130 mark XD)! And, as always, thanks Odnet for making me laugh hysterically! And I am just as glad to be back as...well, you appear to be glad that I am, I guess XD**

**Alright, I'll get on with it ;)**

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><p>The tunnel was dark for a very long few moments. I could hear...<em>something<em>...moving up ahead, but the darkness was complete. I could feel the anticipation growing in our little space. I couldn't help but wonder just why we went so suddenly from rescuing a fish princess to finding a Sage? He hadn't mentioned anything about them to me before... We had moved so fast from "simple" tasks to tasks extremely complicated and difficult.

It only confirmed in my mind that he truly was from the future: only someone who was considered experienced would be expected to do such things...

Finally a light appeared ahead. Then I saw what was moving up ahead: a blade trap, sliding quickly back and forth between the walls of the corridor. Just beyond that I barely made out a set of stairs, which rounded up to the right.

When we emerged, Link immediately took the lead, easily guiding me around the blade trap and up the stairs. They didn't go far, ending on a ledge about five feet up.

Two doors stood on either side of the slightly oval ledge; one to the right and one to the left. Both were barred shut. Between them was another small hole. This floor was decorated with yet another rug. This one, however, was cleaner. In the middle of it stood another one of those exploding statues, a blade trap quickly circling around it over and over...

A Fire Keese appeared out of nowhere, diving right for us. Link, whose swordsmanship was now impeccable, slashed it down with ease. Then, off on the other side of the room, a normal Keese flew through one of the flaming torches, instantly lighting on fire before it made its decent toward us.

This time, I was ready. My bow was out and an arrow greeted it much quicker than it had hoped to even greet us.

Two more normal Keese were taken down before we finally stopped.

"The two doors are still barred," I said, walking toward one of them and yanking on the metal bars blocking our way. "What do we need to do to unlock them, now?"

"What do you think?"

I grimaced, knowing deep down. _All_ the enemies needed to be destroyed before we would be let through, and the only thing left was...

Link walked toward the seemingly harmless statue of the bull holding a shield. Link was careful, already holding out his shield in anticipation of its wake. He reached out with his sword and barely tapped it on the side with the tip...

It sprang to life as I jumped in the corner. I _really_ did not want to go through Dodongo's Cavern all over again...

I watched in silence as Link slashed at it, his sword making an ear-piercing sound as it collided with solid stone. That seemed to be enough, however, as it started to roar and spin in circles, flashing like a bomb. Link propped up his much-too-heavy Hylian Shield and braced himself.

The floor and walls shook as shards of stone went flying everywhere. When I heard the last of the flying missiles come to rest, I looked around the corner to make sure that Link hadn't gotten injured like I had just days before.

He was fine. Actually, he had the biggest grin on his face as he wiped a small amount of blood off of his cheek, the only injury I could see. He then put his weapons away and motioned to me that it was okay.

Just as I joined him, the doors opened. However, that's not where he went. Instead, he started crawling through the small hole in the middle of the wall, between the doors.

"We aren't going through the doors?" I asked as I crawled in behind him, groaning slightly. I could tell, just in the last few days, that I had grown slightly; this wasn't as easy as it had been when we traveled through the Great Deku Tree...

"We will. I just want to check this room out first."

A small staircase stood in the middle of the small hallway. At the top was a large locked door, one with a keyhole. We clearly weren't getting through that door yet.

Back through the hole, and through the door now on our left.

A great metal gate blocked off the ledge to our left. Two unlit torches stood at the edge of a great black abyss, which created a gap between us and the gate. On the other side of the gate we could see four glowing silver rupees.

We quickly took a moment to kill the few Keese sleeping against the gate. Then Link stood and looked back and forth between the two torches, a curious look on his face.

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a strange red orb. "You might want to shield yourself," he muttered.

I didn't ask and instead created a bubble around myself. I then watched as he held the orb between his hands, eyes closed. Then, quite suddenly, he yelled and the orb..._exploded_. Fire spread out from him in a great wave, and for a moment I feared that my bubble wouldn't be enough to protect me. But then the fire was gone, and the two torches stood, now lit.

I expected a section of the gate to fall, acting as a bridge, but it didn't. Instead, I saw a small chest materialize on the other side, out of reach.

"What was _that_?" I asked.

"Din's Fire."

"Did you get that in the future?"

"Actually, you got it for me."

I started. "Really?"

"Yeah. While I slept in the Sacred Realm."

I smiled to myself, suddenly feeling as if I now had a purpose to fulfill in the near future.

"Come on," he said, grabbing my hand gently and leading me out of the room and to the next door.

Two ledges made up the majority of this room, between them a black abyss, alight with green fire. But I didn't get to look around for too long.

A large skeleton creature fell from the sky. He was twice as tall as a normal adult, towering over us. He was holding a shield and sword, and instantly made his way toward us.

I screamed, backing away as I nocked an arrow. Link's behavior told me that he had fought this creature before, instantly readying his sword and walking with confidence toward it.

"It's a Stalfos," he said as the two of them eyed one-another. "Aim for its body while I distract it!" He then lunged forward and the Stalfos jumped out of the way, exposing its back to me.

I shot, the arrow making a strange sound as it embedded itself in the bone of one of its ribs. Then it turned, looking right at me with its glowing red eyes, bringing its sword up into the air...

I panicked, screaming and throwing out my hand. I felt my eyes spring shut, waiting for the inevitable blow...

But it didn't happen. Instead a heard the sound of something flying across the room before there was no sound at all.

"Whoa! Nice one!"

I opened my eyes, seeing Link standing there, smiling at me. "What did I do?"

"Threw it over the ledge, into the abyss. That saved us about ten minutes."

I sighed, dropping my hand to my side. "Good. I really wasn't looking forward to fighting that."

"You'll get used to them. Trust me."

Ugh. Back to hating the future.

Link turned to the ledge, and the source of the green flame became clear to me.

It was one of those giant floating skulls that we had seen below the well. It had just been floating there, just low enough that we couldn't see it, but as Link neared it sprang up, barking at him as it started to fly around in a circle, in and out of range.

Link figured it out fairly quickly. He reached into his pouch and pulled out his boomerang, hitting it easily. The skull froze. I then nocked an arrow and shot it down while it was stunned. It screamed and fell to pieces.

Link sighed.

"What?" I asked.

"You're going to be an awesome fighter when I wake up."

Huh? "What? Aren't you already awake?"

"I mean in _your_ future. When I wake up for the first time for _you_. I remember waking up and going through the Forest Temple. You were already so much better than I was. Now I'm just giving you more practice, so I'll bet you'll be even _more_ skilled when I get back."_  
><em>

I laughed. "You jealous?"

He smirked. "A little. I get better, though."

"But not better than me?"

He frowned, his brows knitting better. "No, perhaps not. But still. This is just giving you more practice for later."

I just laughed.

Link walked forward, examining a small, thin gate stretching from the floor to ceiling. On the other side, I noticed, was a crystal switch... If we could just flip that switch, maybe the gate would drop and create a bridge for us to cross...

Link must have been thinking along the same lines, because he pulled out his boomerang and aimed very carefully. He then let it fly, and we watched as it flew at an angle, curving around to the right, before colliding with the switch. It fell to the floor as the bridge dropped.

We crossed, Link grabbing the boomerang, and walked through the door on the other side.

The door locked behind us, leaving us in a room with a blade trap, which was sliding carefully back and forth along a thin ledge. I could see a ledge that led off to our right, to another locked door and a crystal switch. A ledge mirrored it on the other side of the room, but the only way to get to it was to cross the thin walkway in front of us, passed the blade trap.

As we walked forward, a ball of fire suddenly shot out at us. We barely managed to dodge it. I then looked ahead and realized that there was a very strange creature on the other side of the ledge, floating about a foot off the ground.

It looked like a mummified dog, still wrapped in linen from the shoulders down. As I examined it, it shot out another ball of flame. We dodged this one easily, moving to the right. As we moved, I noticed that the creature mirrored us, moving to the left.

Why did it do that?

"That's an Anubis," Navi said as she flew out from under Link's hat. "They're obsessed with symmetry and will mirror your movements as they shoot fire at you!"

I noticed this as I realized it was moving toward us as we moved toward it. If we moved left, it moved right, and so forth.

"Make your way to that ledge," I said to Link, pointing to the bare ledge off to our left, exactly across from the door to the right. "Just go around the Anubis and it'll go around you."

Link nodded, and I stayed still, not wanting the creature to pick up my movements. Link and the Anubis neared each other, and as Link carefully stepped around the blade trap, avoiding the Anubis, the Anubis did the same in the opposite direction. Link then walked over to the other ledge, the Anubis coming to rest in front of the door.

I pulled out my bow and shot the crystal. Instantly, a wall of fire appeared around the creature, instantly causing it to catch fire. It screamed and exploded, disappearing. Link carefully made his way back to me as the bars on the door lifted.

We were now on the other side of the gate, where the silver rupees had been. But the moment we walked through, a hand dropped from the ceiling, one of the fingers barely missing the back of my dress.

Link took care of it quickly, an annoyed look on his face. "I hate these things," he muttered once it had fallen.

A key stood in the chest that had appeared earlier. Link then ran around the room, collecting the rupees near the floor, climbing the gate to get the ones out of reach. Once they were all collected, a small section of the gate fell, making a bridge with which to cross the large gap to the other side.

We instantly made our way to the hole we had seen earlier, crawling through to the locked door on the other side.

The room on the other side was small, and appeared empty. However, the wall to our right had many different bricks sticking out, two Skullwalltulas plaguing its surface. They were quickly brought down, and Link didn't hesitate to start using the loose bricks to climb. I moaned, thinking that this was definitely a bad idea; what if one of those bricks slipped out?

"Be careful!" I yelled, as he slowly disappeared.

"Aren't I always? ... Are you coming?"

I huffed, reluctantly following behind.

At the top (luckily), we reached a room half covered in sand. To our right stood part of a untamed rock wall, clearly not part of the Colossus itself. It had many cracks in its surface, and looked as if it was about to fall apart. To our left was a locked door.

We walked toward the door, and as we neared we heard a loud scream.

Both of us turned around, finding a Lizalfos in mid lunge, sharp sword just inches away.

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger! Don't you hate 'em XD Actually, I had meant to continue, but this chapter was just getting too long for comfort, with so much more left to do before Link goes back! So I'll see you again soon!<strong>

**... 7 hours, 10 minutes, and 54...53...52...**

**XD**


	54. Chapter 54

**Yes, another chapter! I'm on a roll so far these last few days! If I keep going at this rate, I think I'll have the story complete by either the end of this week or next week! ... Kinda sad to think about, but I've got many other story ideas and I won't let myself post them until this is _done_!**

**And Odnet, _The_ _Hunger Games_ thing I was talking about last chapter was the midnight release of the DVD and BR. I was counting down until 12:01 a.m on the 18th (which was when it was released). I got the BR and watched it with my husband the next morning XD Awesome movie! Even greater books!**

**Alright, I'll get on with it :)**

* * *

><p>Our reaction was instantaneous. Both of us jumped out of the way of the way-to-close blade, me to the right and Link to the left. I looked over just in time to see the blade glide across Link's cheek, leaving a long and deep gash. I flinched as one of the Lizalfo's claws caught the outside of my elbow.<p>

I turned when I was out of danger and pulled back on my bow, arrow ready. I then let it fly, since the monster was currently distracted by Link's sword. There was a loud screech as the arrow imbedded itself in the Lizalfo's back.

It turned toward me, sword raised. As it opened its mouth, letting out an ear-piercing screech, Link came up behind it and leapt through the air, slamming his sword into its already injured back.

It screamed, arms reaching behind it as it clawed at is mutilated back. It then let out a horrific screech before falling to the ground, dead. We didn't get to rest, however.

Another jumped from the ceiling, but this time we were already prepared. I nocked an arrow, watching it as it sank deep into the new Lizalfo's stomach, the softest part of its body. Link lunged, stabbing it and pushing the arrow in farther at the same time. I then reached out my hand, throwing my energy outwards. There was a small explosion as my energy collided with the Lizalfos, sending it flying back into the wall. Link then ran toward it, slamming his sword down through its head.

When the Lizalfos finally stopped twitching, its body disappeared, the only trace that there had been a fight being the blood splattered in various places throughout the room.

"Getting better at this I see," I said, slinging my bow back over my shoulder.

Link smirked, waggling his eyebrows at me, a trace of his old self showing through. "Of course. I _have_ to be good at this."

"I wasn't talking about you," I joked.

Link screwed up his face and stuck out his tongue. "Now let's go."

"Go where? The door's still locked."

Link looked back at the door. "We unlock it, of course!"

That's when I noticed the sun on the floor.

"Hey, look at this!"

Link walked over was I knelt by it. It was slightly raised against the background of the dirt, making me wonder how I hadn't noticed it before. It had eyes, which were closed at the moment.

"I bet this is part of the puzzle," Link said.

"Most definitely."

"What do we do, then?"

"We show it the light."

Link looked at me, eyebrow raised. "How do you know that?"

I pointed to a small inscription just below the sun's eyes, curved as if they made up a mouth line. "It says so right there."

Link rolled his eyes and then looked up and behind me, toward the unkempt rock wall. "So we blow that up, I guess?"

I looked back, noticing that there was a particularly weak spot in it, in just the right spot that the sun would be able to shine through perfectly.

"Yep."

"How do we do that?"

I thought for a long moment, thinking of a strategy. I finally smiled and pulled out my bow. "You still have your bombs with you, right?"

"Yes?"

"Throw it up as high as you can. I'll shoot it."

Link nodded. "Do I need to light it?"

"No. My arrow should be enough to cause it to explode."

"Alright."

Link reached into his pouch and pulled out a small bomb. He then looked at me, waiting for my signal. When I nodded at him, he reached his arm back and threw the bomb forward, toward the weak spot in the wall.

I shot, and for a split second I thought I had missed. But when there was a flash, I quickly shielded our ears and ducked behind Link's shield, which he had propped up.

The ground shook and rock flew everywhere. When the vibrations stopped, we peeked around the shield to see that a large chunk had been blown from the wall, letting the overly-bright sun shine through like a beacon. The sunlight landed perfectly on the painted sun on the floor, and we watched as the eyes of the sun opened. We heard, more than saw, the bars lift from over the door behind us.

"That wasn't too hard," Link said once I had dropped our shield.

"Easy for _you_ to say. You're not the one who had to shoot the bomb in mid-air."

Link huffed. "Well, it didn't _look_ hard, anyways. You made it look easy." I frowned at him. "Geesh, learn to take a compliment once in a while."

I grinned as we turned and walked through the door.

Next to the door, on our left, stood another one of those statues. Directly in front of us was a long staircase, leading up I had no idea where. We carefully walked passed the statue and I realized that there was something very large on the other side of the room.

To our left, on the floor below us, was a large statue that looked almost exactly like the one outside. However, this one had legs, unlike the one outside, that were curled up below the body of a very pretty woman. Now that I could see her as a whole image, I realized that the woman was supposed to be meditating. A large green snake was wrapped around her waist, its head resting around her shoulders.

"Is the snake real?" Link asked at about the time I noticed its presence.

"No. You can tell it's carved from stone as well."

Link shivered. "Good. I don't really like snakes."

I looked down a sharp drop off on the other side of the bull-statue. I could see a blue switch at the bottom and could tell that the wall was climbable.

"Push that statue down," I said, once I pulled myself back.

"You sure? It might come alive."

"No, there's a switch down there. And it's blue."

"So it needs held down," Link said, nodding.

"And statues that come to life blow up once they're defeated - "

"And then we won't have something to use to hold down the switch. No one would make it impossible to hold down, 'cause you have to be able to get through. Got it!" Link then ran over to the statue, reaching out for it confidently, and pushed it toward the ledge.

It fell, right on top of the blue switch. I heard a door unlock somewhere in the room and looked up toward the stairs. But when I turned back, Link was gone.

"Link?"

"Down here!"

I peeked over the edge to see him standing on the ground below, next to the statue. "What are you doing down there?"

"There are two unlit torches over there, in front of the statue! I'm going to light them and see what happens!"

My eyes followed his finger, to see that there _were_ two torches in front of the statue, on either side of a small pedestal. "Alright. I'll wait for you up here."

I watched as Link used that strange orb to create another wave of fire. When both torches were lit, he reached into a large chest and then came back up the wall, holding a large map.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Yep. Let's go."

The stairs went straight up and then curved back around. At the top was a large ledge, level with the statue's shoulders. I could see another set of stairs on the other side of the room, and a ledge not far from us just above the statue's hand. The ledge was out of reach, though, so we went through the door on our left.

We emerged into a short hallway, which curved off to the right. On either side of us stood many different torches, lighting our way as we walked up the few stairs. At the other end was a door.

The room was large, and many blade traps were sliding back and forth between ledges that were placed throughout the room. A couple of Beamos stood watch on a few of the ledges, their heads spinning endlessly.

Link quickly threw a couple of bombs their way. As they exploded, I shielded our hearing so we wouldn't have any lasting damage. Link then walked around a blade trap and took out another Beamos on the other side of the room.

When the room was clear of enemies, I realized that there were many of those silver rupees floating around the room. There was also a window directly across from where we had come in, and a stream of light was pouring through it to the ground.

I made my way carefully to where Link was on the other side of the room. Once there I noticed that a ledge had been blocking a few sliver blocks from my view. On one of them was another one of those strange suns. The block with the sun was trapped in a corner by the other blocks.

Before we moved the blocks around, Link and I walked around on the ledges and carefully collected the silver rupees. When they were all collected, a golden torch blazed to life. Link then quickly ran around the room with a lit Deku Stick and lit all the other dormant torches. When they were all blazing, a small chest fell from the sky, near where I was standing. I ran to it and pulled out a key.

Link and I worked together to move the blocks out of the way of the one with the sun. Once they were moved, he pulled and I pushed the block toward the light streaming through the window. We had to move quickly, however. The sun was starting its decent and the light would soon be gone.

When the block was safely in place, the painted sun came to life, unlocking a door on the other end. We ran to it, going through it before the door closed on us.

We were in another hallway lit by torches. This one, however, went straight, with a staircase leading up to a locked door.

"Want to take a quick break?" I asked, reaching into my pouch to pull out some bread and water.

Link nodded, taking a large swig from the water before taking a large chunk from the bread.

We sat down for about ten minutes as we ate, our backs against the wall. We didn't talk much, but not from anything unusual: both of us were just ready to go back home... Well, _I_ was ready to go back home. _He_ probably wanted to head back to his own time.

"You ready?" He asked once the bread was gone and the water almost empty.

"Yep."

We unlocked the door at the top and walked through.

* * *

><p><strong>So, I know at least one of you is probably wondering if I made Maple an archer because of Katniss (since it's obvious I'm a fan). But, the answer to that is no. She's been an archer in my mind since I was about twelve (I even have very amateur drawings of her with a bow from way back when to prove it). <em>The Hunger Games<em> just made many other people _finally_ realize how cool archery is!**

**Man, we should have bought stock with _Spyder_... We would have made a lot of money over the last few months XD**


	55. Chapter 55

**Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long! Especially since I was on such a roll for those couple of days. I think the roll was stopped because of visiting parents... No, I remember! I was feeling particularly artistic after writing the last chapter and drew a Hunger Games inspired shot of Maple. It's posted on my deviantart profile if you want to take a look.**

**I've also decided to join the madness that is Twitter (why didn't I do it sooner?) so if you guys want to follow me then feel free! My username is alwaysingirl. If you want me to follow you back then tweet me to let me know and I will! ... Except for Odnet. You're not allowed. Haha, only because I found you _first_!**

**Also, welcome to the madness all you new readers! Glad you're all enjoying yourself XD**

**Ok I'll stop babbling so you can get to what you're really waiting for...**

* * *

><p>The room we emerged into was a long, L-shaped hallway, another one of those elaborate red rugs directing a path down the room to the next door on the left. Many stone pillars lined the edge of the rug. Out of the corner of my vision I could see what looked like a suit of armor guarding the door on the other side, a giant axe held in it's solid grip. It was sitting on a giant stone throne.<p>

I could feel some sort of life pulsing out of the armor, my guard instantly coming up. Link walked forward without hesitation and I immediately threw out my arm, stopping him.

"Watch out. I think it's alive."

"That a bad thing?"

I rolled my eyes. "I wouldn't be stopping you if it wasn't."

He smirked. "I bet I've gone up against worse. Don't worry too much."

Link walked forward, me following close behind. We walked around the suit of armor as we passed to the door in the back.

"It's barred," Navi said as she flew ahead, hovering in front of the metal bars.

"So...what do we do to unlock it?" Link asked.

Simultaneously, we looked at the statue.

Without hesitation, Link walked up to it and reached out for its shoulder.

Instantly the armor stood up, a strange groaning coming from it as it moved. It picked up the huge axe with ease, lifting it over its head as it turned toward us.

We dove out of the way as the axe came crashing down, shattering the stone throne into pieces that went flying across the room. I covered my head with my arms as pebbles rained down on us.

"Ok, avoid the axe," Link said as he grabbed me and pulled me up. "Go!"

I ran across the room, hiding behind a pillar as Link charged the suit, shield and sword in hand. I heard the sound of metal colliding with metal, then a large crash.

The floor suddenly started shaking, each rumble getting closer. A couple of seconds later, there was a scream.

"DUCK!"

I dove for the ground just as the pillar came crashing down, stones flying everywhere, cutting into my exposed skin. I rolled to the side and threw my hands out in front of me, a force of power hitting the suit square in the chest.

The suit halted for a brief moment, stumbling over its feet. But it didn't fall over. Instead it regained its footing and marched toward me, its feet moving painfully slow.

There was a crash as Link threw his weight into his sword and I watched as it collided with the shoulder of the suit. Almost instantly the shoulder plate fell off, revealing the bare shoulder of whoever was underneath the armor.

The suit was suddenly moving faster, its feet stomping across the floor at a higher rate. I jumped out of the way, barely avoiding a blow from the giant axe. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Link's sword collide with the exposed shoulder of the creature underneath.

It halted, groaning in pain as it reached up to its shoulder. But then it stood straight, another slab of armor falling off as its feet moved even faster.

Link growled. "So we have to knock the armor off this thing to kill it? _And_ it moves faster?" He swung his sword, a fierce yell of frustration leaking through his lips. "Can't this ever get _easier_?"

I jumped up, nocking an arrow and letting it fly. "I _told_ you it wasn't going to be easy!" I yelled back as the arrow buried inside the creature's shoulder. I grimaced as it reached up and pulled it out.

"Hey, you never said anything about it being hard," Link said, ducking and swinging his sword at the same time. "You just said it would be bad."

I rolled my eyes, jumping out of the way of the large axe. "Isn't that the same thing? And stop complaining and _concentrate_!"

Link smirked as another piece of the armor fell to the ground. "Easy isn't as fun anyways."

The thing was practically running now, its axe swinging around with more speed and force. It became harder to dodge, harder to outrun. More than once I found myself having to roll out of the way of a deadly swing, only to have to roll again.

More and more pieces fell away from the creature, but I never got to see its face. Finally, after over half an hour of dodging, Link dealt the final blow. The creature groaned in agony and fell to its knees. Then there was a flash of light, blue flames consuming it until it completely disappeared.

Both of us collapsed, breathing heavily. Link looked over at me and laughed, his eyes bright.

I shook my head. "You enjoy this too much, you know."

He smiled. "Only because I'm good at it now."

I laughed back.

"Hey, the door's open, you two," Navi said, flying out from under Link's hat.

"Oh yeah," Link mumbled. "The door." He sat up, pulling me with him. "You ready?"

I glanced toward the hallway that was now exposed. Even though it was dark I knew it led outside. I could smell the heat of the desert, feel the breeze.

I nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

We walked through the door, Link's hand automatically wrapping around mine. We then emerged outside, standing on one of the outstretched hands of the colossus.

"Hey!" A familiar and wise voice said, drawing our eyes to the right.

It was the owl.

"What's up, Link? Surprised to see me?"

Link shrugged. "Not really."

The owl laughed. "A long time in this world is nothing to you, is it? How mysterious! Even I thought that the tales of a boy who could travel back and forth through time was merely a legend."

I nodded. "So did I."

"Link, you have fully matured as an adult. From now on, the future of all the people in Hyrule is on your shoulders. Maybe it's not my time anymore. Here is my last advice.

"Two witches inhabit this temple. In order to destroy them, turn their own magic power against them. Hoo Hoot! I will continue to watch you... Hoo hoo hoo hoot!"

Then he was gone, his wings carrying him off into the night.

Link turned to me. "You've heard legends about me?"

My face flushed. "Uh, yeah. From the princess."

He smiled. "The _princess_?" He shrugged. "Alright."

He turned away from me, his hands reaching into the giant chest standing before him. I watched him disappear inside for a brief moment. He emerged a moment later with a pair of giant silver gauntlets.

"Are those the gloves that Nabooru was looking for?" I asked.

Link shrugged, pocketing them. "I guess. Let's go give them to her."

We didn't get very far.

We didn't even move before a blood curdling scream pierced through the night. I recognized it almost at once.

"Nabooru!" I gasped.

"Hey!" She screamed, still out of sight. "Where are you taking me?" There was a brief silence, followed by a scuffling sound. "Yeearggh! Let me go!"

Link and I ran to the edge of the hand, looking down toward where the voices were coming from. We both froze as we saw a bright purple light on the ground, the ground around it bright. I could see a giant purple whirlpool in the ground, two old women floating above it on broomsticks. Nabooru was trapped between them.

"You, you fiends! Gandondorf's minions!" Nabooru yelled. She looked up, throwing her hand into the air. Her eyes landed on us, Navi's light exposing us to her. "Link! Maple! Get out of here! Now!" We watched as she slowly started to disappear in the ground. "These witches! They're using black magic on me!"

Then she was gone.

Navi disappeared inside Link's hat just as the two witches looked up, throwing us into darkness just in time. The two witches then flew inside the colossus.

Link's eyes met mine, mirroring my shock and fear.

"We have to save her," I said after a moment.

Link nodded. "I know. And we will. But not here. Not now."

I lowered my hand from my mouth. "You mean you're leaving again?"

His eyes softened. "Yes."

My heart dropped. I wasn't ready for him to leave. I knew it was inevitable, but still...

"Then you'd better get going," I said, my voice coming out much calmer than I felt.

He nodded, pulling out his ocarina. He played a small tune, a happy one that told of a bright future and hope. He then grabbed my hand, a light enveloping both of us. I closed my eyes as my feet lifted off the ground.

I opened them seconds later as my feet touched back down. We were back in the Temple of Time, the three spiritual stones floating in front of us. My feet followed Link to the back of the room, stopping only when I stood in front of the pedestal, sword inside.

Link turned to me, his eyes bright. "I'll be back. I promise," He said, grabbing my hand again, his thumb tracing circles in the back of my hand.

I nodded, taking a deep breath. I was determined not to cry, determined to remember that he'd be back in seven years.

His hands cupped my cheeks, my heart accelerating. "Don't run off and go hide, alright? Go live your life. Go be happy."

My lip started quivering, but I nodded. "I won't."

"Help the village and I'll be back before you know it, alright?"

I closed my eyes and nodded again, my heart pulling painfully at the thought of him leaving. "Okay."

Suddenly his lips were on mine, firm yet soft. My heart jumped up into my throat as my eyes sprang open.

But he was already gone, the light from the pedestal fading away and taking him with it.

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><p><strong>Yeah I know it's a little short, but it's better than nothing XD So don't forget I have a Twitter now. There's a link in my profile if you want to follow me!<strong>

**Have a great Christmas! I'll be back soon (hopefully)!**


	56. Chapter 56

**Hey guys! I'm back again! Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas (has it really been that long?)!**

**Thanks for the great reviews! Welcome to all you new readers as well :)**

**Now, on with the show!**

**_Adult_**

* * *

><p>It took all of about two minutes for me to realize that Link was already done, new memories flooding into my mind. It was quite a strange sensation, considering the last time he'd gone back had been after I'd been beaten unconscious. I had just woken up with my altered memories. Now they were coming back to me as if they had long been hidden somewhere deep in my mind.<p>

After he left I didn't retreat to Kakariko like I'd done before. Instead I stayed in the Castle Town, at least until the monsters started pouring out of the Temple. I'd then joined forces with the castle guards and helped fight them off while the villagers escaped. When the fight became too much I left with everyone else.

I'd spent the next few years helping build Kakariko so it could house the survivors. I spent my free time in the graveyard with Dampé, helping him watch over the graves of the royal family. After he passed I still went to the graveyard, setting flowers on his grave every day. When the seven years was nearly over I started waiting, started spending less time in the graveyard and more out in the village.

The rest stayed the same.

I blinked and turned, my eyes grazing over the giant colossus behind me. I remembered everything about going in there, meeting Nabooru, watching her get kidnapped. I shivered, suddenly wondering where she was and if she was even still alive.

A flash caught my eye and I looked over my shoulder just as Link materialized in a swirl of yellow light. I smiled and stood up, brushing off the sand that had barely begun to cling to me.

"Have fun?" I asked, the corner of my lip pulling up as I glanced at him.

He ran up to me, straightening his tunic. "The question is, did you?"

I chuckled, pulling at my bellowing bottoms before looking up at him. "To answer your question, I did. No sulking at all this time."

"Promise?"

I nodded. "Yep."

He smiled, reaching out and touching my cheek. "You ready?"

"For the last Temple?" I laughed. "I have been for a long time."

He nodded, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the steps leading inside.

It hadn't changed since we were children, or from even a few minutes before when we'd gone inside to check things out. When we reached the top of the stairs we stopped, looking at the two stationary Armos standing guard.

"Where do we go?" He asked, looking toward the hole we'd climbed through before.

"We can't go through there. It's too small."

Link looked right, toward where a giant blue block stood in our way. A giant crescent moon stared back. "But we can't go there."

"Can't we?"

He looked at me, puzzled. "What?"

"Those gloves. The ones Nabooru sent us after. What did she say they did again?"

He smiled, reaching into his pouch and pulling out the gloves. "'If you equip them, you can easily push and pull very heavy things!'" He waved them at me. "So these'll get us passed that block."

I nudged him. "Well we'll find out, anyways."

He carefully slipped them on, flexing his fingers. I heard the leather underneath the sliver plating creak from lack of use, the smell wafting out at me for a brief moment. He then turned toward the giant block, placing his hands against the warm surface. He then pushed.

At first nothing happened. Then I felt a strange sensation as the gloves started radiating an ancient magic, the block moving just the slightest bit. Link grunted, pushing harder, the gloves reacting. The block began to move at a steady pace down the hallway, scraping against the ground. The block then suddenly dropped, landing in a large hole at our feet.

Link smiled, flexing his fingers again as he looked down at the gloves. "Oh, I could get used to this," He muttered.

I smiled and pushed him forward. "Come on, Macho. Let's go."

The room ahead was almost an exact mirror image of the room on the other side, complete with the Beamos guarding the center of the room and floor trap spinning on the floor around it. The only difference was the crystal hanging down from the center of the ceiling, untouched for ages.

Link reached into his pouch and pulled out a bomb, quickly lighting it. He threw it at the Beamos as I created a bubble around it. It exploded silently, the eye closing in surprise. Link pulled out another and threw it, the Beamos exploding. He then nodded at me.

I pulled out my bow, pulled back the string. My arrow flew through the air, hitting the crystal above us. It lit up bright, the door to the left of the room unlocking. We carefully walked passed the floor trap, grabbing my still-good arrow as we walked through.

The room was split in half, much like the room before. A glowing Triforce symbol was painted on the floor on the far side of the room on our ledge. As Link walked toward it there was a howl, a Wolfos materializing.

Link was quick, his sword slashing before it had time to react. It screamed, running around him toward me. I quickly nocked and arrow and watched as it flew through the air, hitting it directly in the eye. It fell.

"Too easy," Link said, sheathing his sword.

"It won't be for long."

"Let's hope not."

Link walked over to the Triforce symbol, pulling out his Ocarina. He quickly played the soothing Lullaby, a chest appearing on a lone ledge on the other side of the room. I peaked over the edge of our ledge to see the ground not far below us. But there was no way across.

"I got this," He said, pulling out his Longshot. He quickly aimed and I watched as he was yanked across the room, pulling open the chest seconds later. He flashed the compass at me. He then jumped down, using a rock wall to climb back up to where I was waiting. We turned and left, crossing the room to the door on the right.

The next room was strange. Below us stood a wide hallway of sorts, the floor curving sharply downward in an arch. Two boulders were rolling back and forth, touching one side of the wall before rolling back across. Several niches in the walls stood on either side of the hallway, many silver rupees shining back at us. Directly across from us was a barred door.

Link and I quickly went to work, starting by jumping off the ledge and grabbing the closest floating rupee with ease. We carefully dodged the rolling boulders, grabbing the rupees in the niches and hiding while we waited for the boulders to roll away. When the last of them was gathered, the door on the far side opened and we ran for it, diving around the boulders just in time.

The room on the other side was small, with nothing in it but a small chest and a squirming Like Like. Link quickly killed it before pulling the key out of the chest.

We crossed back through the room, dodging the boulders and climbing the rock wall to reach the door above. In the next room we immediately turned, unlocking the door in the very center of the room with our key.

The hallway was mostly dark, only two torches lighting the way. As we stepped forward another Like Like fell from the ceiling, its giant mouth opening and sucking at the air around us. Link quickly dispatched it, wiping off his sword once he was done.

We continued down the hallway, quickly coming to a dead end. To our right stood a very tall rock wall, which we immediately started climbing. Link kept a very close eye on me as we climbed, his eyes nervous. I just sighed. He had nothing to worry about.

At the top was a room with a single mirror, reflecting the light coming through the window above. On the walls, in a straight line around the room, were multiple suns, all with their eyes closed.

We started walking toward the mirror when I froze. I felt a breeze coming from somewhere above me and I quickly looked up. I screamed, diving to the side as a Floormaster fell, its fingers grasping for me. Link slashed at it as I turned and nocked an arrow, both hitting it at the same time. The thing screamed, bursting into flame as its body split into three.

Link took out two of the little hands with one swing while I took care of the last with an arrow.

"Be careful," Link said as he turned toward me.

I just stuck out my tongue as I brushed off my pants.

We walked toward the mirror, carefully turning it so the light it was reflecting hit the nearest sun. The sun burst into flame, leaving behind a chest. We turned it again, another chest appearing. The next sun smiled, its eyes opening as the door behind us opened.

"Don't open the chests," I said, grabbing Link's shoulder just as he moved toward them.

"Why?"

"There're monsters inside."

He frowned. "Never mind, then."

The next room was large, a delicate colossus sitting in the very center of the room just below us. It looked very similar to the colossus outside, except this one had a giant snake wrapped around her shoulders, the tail resting in her lap.

We jumped down from our ledge, landing near her knees. Directly in front of her was a small pedestal, two unlit torches standing on either side of it. Link quickly pulled out his bow, concentrating on his arrow until the tip burst into flames. He then lit each of the torches, a chest appearing on the pedestal.

Inside was the map.

"Now where? There're so many ledges in this room."

Link shrugged, his eyes skimming the many ledges surrounding us. He then held up a finger. "Wait here."

"Okay."

I watched as he crossed the room, using his Longshot to pull him onto one of the ledges. I watched him until he disappeared from sight, the darkness above too thick. A few moments later a saw a flash of light above me, to my left. I recognized the glow of his Hover Boots. A few seconds later there was a crash that shook the floor, a door opening somewhere above me and to my right. When I heard Zelda's Lullaby suddenly playing in the room I looked up, seeing Link standing in one of the outstretched hands of the colossus. When the tune ended I heard something fall in her other hand.

It took Link a few tries, since it was almost out of reach for his Longshot, but he was soon zooming across the room, opening whatever chest had fallen.

Link jumped down, pocketing the key he'd just gotten.

"Ready?" I asked.

He smiled. "Yep." He then grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the door in the very center of the room.

The hallway on the other side turned sharply to the left, another giant block obstructing the hallway next to us. Link smiled, flexing his fingers again as he pushed against the block. It moved slowly, grinding against the walls and floor, before finally dropping into the ground. But as it disappeared it revealed yet another block directly to our right. Link pushed and pushed until his brow was wet with sweat. When it finally disappeared the hallway turned yet again to the right, revealing a small set of stairs. Link sighed and wiped his brow.

"Need some water?" I asked, already holding out a jar. He nodded and took a generous gulp before handing it back.

"Thanks."

A rusty switch stood in the corner of the small dead end, along with a crescent moon shaped block in the center of the floor. Link pulled out his hammer, quickly swinging it down onto the switch. I watched as the small block disappeared from view.

Link grabbed my hand. "Let's go."

I followed him back down the hallway, out into the room with the colossus. He pulled me to the right, propelling us up onto the ledge with his Longshot. We ran up the stairs, which quickly turned around, to a locked door at the top and to the right.

The hallway beyond was curved, disappearing up to our left. A Beamos stood almost directly in front of us and we were taken by surprise. Link quickly threw a bomb and threw his shield in front of us until it exploded.

We walked up the stairs and through the door at the top. It barred behind us.

Much of the floor was missing, just a couple of small pathways leading safely across the room. I only had to look for a moment to recognize the Anubis waiting directly across from us.

"You remember what to do with that, right?" I asked.

Link nodded, his eyes landing on the Beamos sitting at the end of one of the paths. I waited until he destroyed it before following him across.

The Anubis mirrored us, just like it had before. We carefully walked around it, making sure not to touch it out of fear that it would attack and send us flying down into the abyss below. Once on the other side we saw a switch, which Link quickly ran to and stepped on. A ring of fire appeared in the very center of the paths.

Link walked forward, careful not to get to close to the ring. The Anubis didn't catch fire, however.

"It won't get close enough," Link whispered.

We waited for the switch to deactivate.

"What do we do?" He asked.

I pointed to his bow. "You have fire arrows. It doesn't matter how they catch fire. Only that they do."

Link grinned, pulling out his bow and concentrating on the arrow. He let it fly and we watched as the Anubis caught fire and dropped into the abyss.

As we were crossing the room we realized that there were still more Anubis floating around us. Link quickly shot them down, each of them following its brethren. Both doors unlocked.

The room on the other side was slightly large, four sleeping Armos standing around a blue switch. A floor trap was zipping back and forth across the room to our left.

Link sighed. "Let's get to work."

We touched the Armos individually, destroying them before moving onto the next. When only one was left we pushed it so it stood on the blue switch, opening a barred door. We quickly ran through it.

My heart froze when I saw where we were. A room that mirrored the one where we'd fought that creature as children. I looked to my right, sighing when I saw the giant armored statue waiting there.

Not again.

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><p><strong>I know that I kinda skipped some parts of the temple this far, but the guy doing the tutorial I was watching did that (and I'm assuming he'll go back?). So yeah...<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed.**


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